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Video: A Jazz Pioneer Settles In At The New Met Breuer Museum
By
Scott Heins
Published Mar 7, 2016
Modified Mar 7, 2016
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Scott Heins/Gothamist
By
Scott Heins
Published Mar 7, 2016
Modified Mar 7, 2016
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You could say the Met Breuer is all about forward motion—pushing toward modern art, contemporary ideas, and what might come next. The new building opened to museum members and press last week, and with that came the start of "Relation," a continuous, not-so-structured live performance series centered around jazz pianist Vijay Iyer. Consisting of 45 minute set performed by Iyer and a rotating cast of co-conspirators, it's unlike anything else happening in NYC's museum scene.
Iyer very often finds himself playing with his closest friends, and as a result the mood during a "Relation" set is equal parts taut focus and playful smirk. Last Friday he was joined by saxophonist and composer Yosvany Terry and South Indian mrudgangam percussion artist Rajna Swaminathan for a dense, ruminative performance that flowed from one tune to the next, hardly ever pausing for rest (or applause).
Iyer chose to lay back with meditative chords; he let his guests take the lead, and Swaminathan's drumming delivered the perfect counterpoint to Terry's bright, clean lines. Part of the trio's comfort came from the fact that they do this kind of thing regularly in Iyer's offices at Harvard: he and Yerry are on faculty there, and Swaminathan is one of his PhD students.
But these "Realtion" sets, which run through the end of March in the Met Breuer's Lobby Gallery, are more than just dressed-up jam sessions. Iyer is using them to hone his craft and test-out new compositions in real time. "We're working on ideas and material, interaction and development, refining it all," he said. "It's not only first encounters, it's a lot of existing relationships."
The Met Breuer (Scott Heins / Gothamist)
The museum setting at the Breuer itself isn't a first encounter, either. Iyer's trio performed at the Met's Temple of Dendur last year , and he's already created a new piece inspired by the works of Nasreen Mohamedi, whose sparse photography and graphite sketching fills the Breuer's second floor galleries.
Vijay Iyer (left) performs with saxophonist Yosvany Terry and mrudangam artist Rajna Swaminathan
Rajna Swaminathan (Scott Heins/Gothamist)
The rest of the Breuer's opening collection—a wide-reaching modern art show dubbed Unfinished: Thoughts Left Visible—captivates him as well. In a way, Iyer's "Relation" is its perfect supplement. "The Unfinished aesthetic is something that's very close to what we do, because it highlights the process of music's time-based work that features improvisation, interactivity and real-time creation," he said. "You realize you're seeing not just objects, but a fragment of somebody's process."
"Relation" runs daily at the Met Breuer runs through Thursday, March 31st // Museum Members only until March 18th (the museum is closed on Mondays) // 945 Madison Avenue
Tagged
jazz
the met
The Met Breuer
Vijay Iyer
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Scott Heins
Scott Heins is a freelance photo and video journalist based in New York City, and a frequent contributor to Gothamist + WNYC. His work often centers around labor rights, housing, and policing. In 2018-2019 he traveled to four states while covering a wave of public school teachers strikes, with work featured in The New York Times, The Intercept, Getty Images, Splinter, and Bloomberg Photos. Scott is a dues-paying member of the National Writers Union's Freelance Solidarity Project.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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