Vijay Iyer Trio: Accelerando

Fresh off a wave of overwhelming critical love for his last outing, the searing Historicity, Bay Area pianist Vijay Iyer once again convened his Trio (Stephan Crump on bass, the transcendental Marcus Gilmore on drums) for Accelerando, an album similarly hued but also deeply singular. Iyer’s ongoing achievement is that he manages to create lasting emotional connections from such purportedly methodical material. Once again, many of the group’s source material seem severely left-field, at least for a jazz combo - Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” gets the fractured Iyer treatment, as does Flying Lotus’ “Mmmhmm,” which the trio transforms into a gorgeous, skittering ballad. Meanwhile, at less than three minutes, the hyperactive title track is one of Iyer’s most captivating compositions; the halting, computerized beat that starts it off is quickly overtaken by the organic sound of a group preternaturally locked in, led by one of the most fascinating and unique composers around. (5 out of 5 stars)