American keyboard player Vijay Iyer is always looking for a challenge. Iyer is able to move from complexity to ingenious melodies and characteristic grooves. On his 21st album, Far From Over from 2017, he leaves no room for doubt. Just like his source of inspiration, Herbie Hancock, he does not shy away from tradition and alternates it with musical influences like world, funk, and hip-hop. For this reason Rolling Stone aptly called Far From Over ‘2017's jazz album to beat’. Iyers acoustic and electronic keyboard playing is forceful yet balanced. This allows room for his New York accompanists to excel. The ensemble also comprises a heavy-duty horn section: Graham Haynes on cornet, Mark Shim on tenor sax, and Steve Lehman on alto sax. Add to these the rhythm tandem Stephan Crum on double bass and Jeremy Dutton on drums, and the magical energy of the Vijay Iver Sextet is complete.
