StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Catching up with Vijay Iyer

This week, let's catch up with the latest on pianist and composer Vijay Iyer, who will be returning to St. Louis with his trio to perform Wednesday, March 14 through Wednesday, March 17 at Jazz at the Bistro.

This will be the second time headlining at the Bistro for Iyer, who's one of the most talked-about and critically acclaimed jazz musicians of recent years. He made his St. Louis debut there in January 2010, and then in October, returned to the Gateway City as part of trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith's Golden Quartet for a concert at 560 Music Center.

For more on Iyer's back story, check out this video showcase post that ran before his Bistro gig two year ago. Today, though, we're going to concentrate on his more recent activities.

Specifically, up top you can see a video of Iyer's trio, which includes bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Marcus Gilmore, performing during this year's Winter Jazzfest in NYC. The song, "Actions Speak," comes from their show on January 7 at Le Poisson Rouge, and it also will be featured on Iyer's new album Accelerando, which is set for release on Tuesday, March 13.

Down below, you can see another 25-minute excerpt from the same Winter Jazzfest set, and below that, you'll find a promotional video for Accelerando, featuring musical excerpts and an interview with Iyer. Finally, there's another interview in which Iyer talks about another recent project with a local twist, a book of sheet music of his compositions issued late last year by St. Louis-based Mel Bay Publications.

You can hear more of Accelerando online by going to NPR's First Listen starting next Tuesday, March 6 through the following Tuesday, March 13. For more about Iyer and the new album, check out this post from The Urban Flux and this one from Nextbop.com.