04/09 - Friday :: Vijay Iyer Solo Piano

Web Site

"By now, there can be no doubt that pianist-composer Vijay Iyer stands among the most daringly original jazz artists of the under-40 generation," writes critic Howard Reich in the Chicago Tribune. Vijay Iyer has been described by the The Village Voice as "the most commanding pianist and composer to emerge in recent years," by The Boston Globe as "one of the most challenging and satisfying talents in jazz today," and by the L.A. Weekly as "a boundless and deeply important young star."

Iyer recently won the Downbeat Magazine International Critics' Poll in the Rising Star Jazz Artist, Composer, and Pianist categories. He was also named Up & Coming Musician of the Year in the JJA Jazz Awards, and has graced the covers of five international music magazines. He received the CalArts Alpert Award in the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, and numerous composer commissions.

In addition to his work as a bandleader, Iyer has collaborated with Steve Coleman, Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, Amiri Baraka, Butch Morris, Oliver Lake, Ethel, dead prez, Burnt Sugar, Karsh Kale, Talvin Singh, Imani Uzuri, George Lewis, DJ Spooky, John Zorn, High Priest, Imani Winds, and many others. 

Iyer teaches at New York University, The New School, and School for Improvisational Music. His writings appear in Music Perception, Journal of Consciousness Studies, Current Musicology, and the anthologies Uptown Conversation, Sound Unbound, and Arcana IV.

Web Site: Akie Bermiss

Akie is a pianist and singer who has been performing professionally since 2005. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he plays everything from jazz to blues to hiphop-and brings a signature fusion of them all to his own music. He has performed and/or recorded with Sam Morrison, Badal Roy, Peter O'Brien, Kenny Davis, Jon Bates, Greg Glassman, and Marvin 'Bugalu' Smith.