Each year, the Hopkins Center brings in innovative artists who offer fresh twists on jazz for its annual double bill jazz feature. Margaret Lawrence, the programming director at the Hop, said the decision to invite acclaimed jazz musicians and composers Iyer and Prieto was a no-brainer.
"Both Iyer and Prieto are extraordinarily talented and original musicians who complement each other as artists extremely well," Lawrence said. "Already recognized as superstar names within the vibrant jazz community in New York City, we are particularly excited to have them perform."
Influenced by their cultural heritages, Iyer and Prieto have crafted their own distinct blends of jazz. Iyer, who is South Indian and has spent time on both the East Coast and in California, combines sprawling piano melodies and occasionally even electronic sounds in his compositions. Prieto, who left Cuba in 1997 for the United States, carries with him a strong Latino and Afro-Caribbean-infused style of music. He has earned innumerable accolades for his command of the drums.
Iyer, who majored in mathematics and physics at Yale University and received a master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, said his decision to pursue a career in music was a natural, albeit perhaps unusual, choice.
"About 14 years ago, I was at a crossroads," Iyer said. "I was facing the reality of a very competitive and arduous career in academia or an equally competitive and arduous career in the arts. I realized I could pursue either opportunity, and that music was where my heart was. Faced with that reality, I don't regret my decision."
As a way of introducing Iyer and Prieto's music to the campus in a more casual atmosphere, Sigma Nu fraternity, in conjunction with the Hop and Student Ambassadors for the Arts, hosted a listening party Wednesday night, which also featured live performances from students.
Iyer recently released "Tragicomic" (2008) -- his first quartet album since 2005's "Reimagining" -- and already has a new album in the works. Iyer said he plans to perform several tracks from "Tragicomic" during his performance tonight, as well as a few numbers from his forthcoming album.
"A lot of the stuff I've done in the past was freighted with symbolic intentions, but when performing as a trio, I've noticed my style has evolved, becoming more compact and fluid," Iyer said. "It becomes less about composing and more about improvising."
Prieto, a world-renowned percussionist and a professor of music at New York University's Steinhardt School, has had a similar love affair with music.
"There is a connection when you listen to a certain kind of music," Prieto said. "I have always felt it in jazz. There is an opportunity to improvise, and it allows me to have an open style. I am trying to reach out and tell people a story about me. As an artist, I believe in the spiritual powers of music, and express this in my work."
Planning to primarily play pieces from his 2008 release, "Taking the Soul for a Walk," Prieto said he hopes to showcase the vibrancy and luminous quality of his music, which he describes as "inspired by life."
Though Iyer and Prieto will perform separately at tonight's performance, they said they would not be opposed to the idea of an impromptu collaboration on stage. As longtime friends with a rich working relationship, a jam session between the two would exemplify the spontaneity and technical skill that define jazz.
