Mutations is a studio album by American jazz pianist Vijay Iyer recorded in September 2013 and released on ECM the following year. The titular suite features a string quartet consisting violinists Michi Wiancko and Miranda Cuckson, violist Kyle Armbrust, and cellist Kivie Cahn-Lipman.[1]
The AllMusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4½ stars out of 5, stating "Mutations rewards with well-considered, inspired performances."[2]
Writing for All About Jazz, John Kelman said "Mutations is a landmark recording from an artist who, while already possessing an admirable discography, has clearly been limited to more decidedly jazz-oriented concerns. Representing a significant musical shift, if Mutations is but the first sign of the greater freedom ECM plans to afford Iyer, the only vaticinator of what's to follow will surely be its complete and utter unpredictability."[3]
The Guardian review by John Fordham awarded the album 4 stars noting "It's thoughtful, typically original, and unexpectedly very exciting."[4] Rob Shepherd, writing for PostGenre, noted "Vijay Iyer’s first for ECM is also arguably his best [to date]. While his previous releases showcased a supremely talented pianist, it appears that signing with the Munich based label opened a number of doors creatively for him."[9]
Not all reviews were as enthusiastic, with JazzTimes stating that Mutations is a major disappointment. The problem is Iyer's writing for strings. There is a 10-part suite for string quartet, piano and electronics. The suite is stunningly devoid of the aesthetic and emotional content that makes most people listen to music. Qualities such as lyric discovery, melodic fulfillment and rhythmic engagement are absent."[10]
Track listingedit
All compositions by Vijay Iyer
"Spellbound and Sacrosanct, Cowrie Shells and the Shimmering Sea" - 7:39
mutations, vijay, iyer, album, mutations, studio, album, american, jazz, pianist, vijay, iyer, recorded, september, 2013, released, following, year, titular, suite, features, string, quartet, consisting, violinists, michi, wiancko, miranda, cuckson, violist, k. Mutations is a studio album by American jazz pianist Vijay Iyer recorded in September 2013 and released on ECM the following year The titular suite features a string quartet consisting violinists Michi Wiancko and Miranda Cuckson violist Kyle Armbrust and cellist Kivie Cahn Lipman 1 MutationsStudio album by Vijay IyerReleasedMarch 4 2014RecordedSeptember 2013StudioAvatar New York CityGenreJazzLength60 13LabelECM 2372ProducerManfred EicherVijay Iyer chronologyHolding It Down The Veterans Dreams Project 2013 Mutations 2014 Radhe Radhe Rites of Holi 2014 Contents 1 Reception 2 Track listing 3 Personnel 4 ReferencesReception editProfessional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllmusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 2 All About Jazz nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 3 The Guardian nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 4 Financial Times nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 5 RTE ie nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 6 Exclaim 7 10 7 Tom HullA 8 The AllMusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars out of 5 stating Mutations rewards with well considered inspired performances 2 Writing for All About Jazz John Kelman said Mutations is a landmark recording from an artist who while already possessing an admirable discography has clearly been limited to more decidedly jazz oriented concerns Representing a significant musical shift if Mutations is but the first sign of the greater freedom ECM plans to afford Iyer the only vaticinator of what s to follow will surely be its complete and utter unpredictability 3 The Guardian review by John Fordham awarded the album 4 stars noting It s thoughtful typically original and unexpectedly very exciting 4 Rob Shepherd writing for PostGenre noted Vijay Iyer s first for ECM is also arguably his best to date While his previous releases showcased a supremely talented pianist it appears that signing with the Munich based label opened a number of doors creatively for him 9 Not all reviews were as enthusiastic with JazzTimes stating that Mutations is a major disappointment The problem is Iyer s writing for strings There is a 10 part suite for string quartet piano and electronics The suite is stunningly devoid of the aesthetic and emotional content that makes most people listen to music Qualities such as lyric discovery melodic fulfillment and rhythmic engagement are absent 10 Track listing editAll compositions by Vijay Iyer Spellbound and Sacrosanct Cowrie Shells and the Shimmering Sea 7 39 Vuln Part 2 4 34 Mutation 1 Air 4 12 Mutation 2 Rise 2 44 Mutation 3 Canon 5 47 Mutation 4 Chain 5 25 Mutation 5 Automata 6 32 Mutation 6 Waves 3 00 Mutation 7 Kernel 5 59 Mutation 8 Clade 1 34 Mutation 9 Descent 5 17 Mutation 10 Time 4 00 When We re Gone 3 30Personnel editVijay Iyer piano electronics Michi Wiancko Miranda Cuckson violin tracks 3 12 Kyle Armbrust viola tracks 3 12 Kivie Cahn Lipman cello tracks 3 12 References edit ECM discography accessed September 15 2014 a b Jurek Thom Mutations Vijay Iyer Allmusic com Retrieved 2014 09 15 a b Kelman John 2014 03 10 Vijay Iyer Mutations allaboutjazz com Retrieved 2014 09 15 a b Fordham John 2014 03 07 Vijay Iyer Mutations review Thoughtful original and exciting jazz theguardian com Retrieved 2014 09 15 Hobart Mike 14 March 2014 Vijay Iyer Mutations Financial Times ft com Retrieved 7 June 2018 Kehoe Paddy 14 May 2014 Vijay Iyer Mutations RTE RTE ie Retrieved 7 June 2018 Hall Glen 28 February 2014 Vijay Iyer Mutations Exclaim exclaim ca Retrieved 7 June 2018 Hull Tom Tom Hull Grade List Vijay Iyer tomhull com Retrieved 30 July 2020 Rob Shepherd s Favorite Jazz Albums 2009 2019 25 December 2019 Conrad T JazzTimes Review March 2014 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mutations Vijay Iyer album amp oldid 1194398700, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
