| Release Date: | 17/02/2024 |
| Format: | 2LP |
| Label: | ECM |
| Catalogue Number: | 5835143/ 5567498 |
Pianist-composer Vijay Iyer follows his 2021 ECM disc Uneasy - the first to showcase his trio featuring bassist Linda May Han Oh and drummer Tyshawn Sorey - with Compassion, another album in league with these two gifted partners.
The New York Times captured the special qualities of this group, pointing to the trio's flair for playing "with a lithe range of motion and resplendent clarity...while stoking a kind of writhing internal tension. Crucial to that balance is their ability to connect with each other almost telepathically." Compassion, Iyer's eighth release as a leader for ECM, continues his drive to explore fresh territory while also referencing his forebears along the way, two of them long associated with the label.
The album includes a powerful interpretation of Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed," which Iyer selected as an indirect homage to the late Chick Corea. Another tip of the hat comes with "Nonaah," a whirlwind of a piece by avant-garde sage Roscoe Mitchell, a key mentor for the pianist. Then there are Iyer's own melodically alluring, rhythmically invigorating compositions, ranging from the pensive title track to the hook-laced highlights "Tempest" and "Ghostrumental."
Vijay Iyer: piano
Linda May Han Oh: double bass
Tyshawn Sorey: drums
Tracklist
Compassion
Arch
Overjoyed
Maelstrom
Prelude: Orison
Tempest
Panegyric
Nonaah
Where I Am
Ghostrumental
It Goes
Free Spirits
Drummer's Song