Vijay Iyer Sextet - Far from Over review

The instrumentation on Vijay Iyer's fifth release for Manfred Eicher's ECM label couldn't be more traditional – trumpet, alto, tenor and a rhythm section is what you'll find on Kind of Blue – but that just makes all the more impressive the freshness of the influential US pianist's compositions, and the freedom and energy with which his heavyweight band bring them to life. Iyer's sound may have been somewhat austere in the past, but here, the furious abandon of the horns - trumpeter Graham Hayne and saxophonists Steve Lehman and Mark Shim - the funky warmth of the leader (particularly on electric piano), and the deep-in-the-pocket grooves from drummer Tyshawn Sorey and bassist Stephan Crump, make Far From Over one of Iyer's most approachable releases yet. propermusic.com