Raw Materials by Vijay Iyer and Rudresh Mahanthappa

We generally do not associate Indian-American and jazz musicians together when we talk about the desi community in the US. But, there are always exceptions to the rule, even stereotypes for that matter. The desi community in the USA has some well-known jazz musicians, and among them Vijay Iyer (or should I say Dr. Vijay Iyer since he has a PhD from Cal Berkeley) and Rudresh Mahanthappaa> who are at the top of the list.

Vijay is an accomplished pianist and composer, and Rudresh is an accomplished alto saxophonist. Interestingly, Vijay does not have any formal training in playing the piano. He trained as a violinist.

Vijay and Rudresh have carved out a niche for themselves in the American jazz music scene. Vijay was named Up and Coming Musician of the Year (2004) by Jazz Journalists Association. Rudresh has been named a Rising Star alto saxophonist by the Downbeat International Cities Poll for the past three year.

A few months ago I met with Vijay and Rudresh in New York where we spoke about their upcoming album, what it was like growing up in the USA, and how they decided to make music their professional career. Both, Vijay and Rudresh had no role models when they made their choice to become musicians. Vijay in fact finished his PhD and then switched to become a jazz musician. Rudresh went to a music school and got his undergraduate and graduate degree in music.

One of the questions I asked Rudresh was if the audience expects to hear Indian-infused numbers from them. Rudresh had some interesting observations. He mentioned that the younger crowd had no such expectations, but sometimes the older crowd does have expectations in that direction.

Both are prolific musicians and have produced a clutch of critically acclaimed albums. In fact Vijay released a very telling and innovative album "Reimagining" with poet Mike Ladd a couple of years ago. This album was in many ways born out of Vijay and Mike's experience after the tragic 9/11 incidents. Rudresh produced a very interesting and innovative album titled "Mother Tongue."

Last week their new album Raw Materials was released by by Savoy Jazz. You can listen to a sample from their new album from their Rawmaterials site.

What is significant about this album is: first, this is the first commercially available album by the duo. They have been playing together for 10 years, and this album marks their 10th anniversary. Second, this album was released by Savoy Jazz, the legendary record label that has a deep link with the history and culture of Jazz music. It was Savoy that released the albums of well-known jazz musicians like Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Fats Navarro, Miles Davies and others. This is Vijay's second album on Savoy.

Raw Materials has already got some good reviews, and The Wall Street Journal last week published an article about these two gifted musicians.

You can listen to the first podcast interview given by Vijay and Rudresh. Hear them talk about Savoy Jazz and how they started working together.