Vijay Iyer is one of the most significant contemporary composers and performers on the piano. This manuscript represents a compilation of small group compositions byIyer during a period from 1999 through 2008. The bulk of the pieces were originally written for Vijay's quartet with altoist Rudresh Mahanthappa, bassist Stephan Crump, anddrummers Marcus Gilmore, Tyshawn Sorey, and DerrekPhillips, and documented on the albums Panoptic Modes (2001), Blood Sutra (2003), Reimagining (2005), and Tragicomic (2008). The music features experimentation on rhythmic techniques, harmony, orchestration, soloing structures, and macro-form, with an overriding focus onsound and feel. This volume contains contrasting compositional approaches so as to give the reader insight into the broad spectrum of compositional language and devices employed by Iyer. Photo credit: Lena Adasheva
