Vijay Iyer Sextet – Far From Over (ECM)

Vijay Iyer Sextet’s Far From Over, released in 2017 on ECM Records, is a thrilling, urgent, and boundary-pushing statement in modern jazz. Assembling a stellar ensemble—including Graham Haynes on cornet and electronics, Steve Lehman on alto saxophone, Mark Shim on tenor saxophone, Stephan Crump on bass, and Tyshawn Sorey on drums—Iyer crafts a dense yet agile soundscape that fuses swing, dissonance, groove, and abstraction. The album's compositions are both technically intricate and emotionally charged, marked by shifting meters, bold ensemble voicings, and an insistently contemporary voice.

Despite its cerebral foundations, Far From Over feels visceral and immediate, driven by Sorey’s explosive drumming and Iyer’s commanding piano lines. Tracks like “Down to the Wire” and “Wake” pulse with restless energy, while moments of stillness on “For Amiri Baraka” show the group’s range and sensitivity. The album is politically attuned, rhythmically daring, and compositionally inventive—positioning Iyer as one of the most vital artists in 21st-century jazz.

Iyer reaches a new peak here. The album features virtuoso improvisers leveraging a wealth of jazz history even as it pushes boldly forward. The music ranges from the thrillingly explosive to the cathartically elegiac, with melodic hooks, entrancing atmosphere, rhythmic muscle and an elemental spirit all part of the allure.

Reviews

“A tour de force… Iyer blends complexity and groove with such fluency, the result feels inevitable. One of 2017’s most exciting jazz records.” – The New York Times

“Far From Over is modern jazz at its most energized and uncompromising… and possibly Vijay Iyer’s finest ECM album to date.” – All About Jazz

“The Sextet swings, crashes, whispers, and explodes—this is urgent music with teeth.” – Pitchfork

“A bold and brave work from a pianist who’s never content to coast. Every track here pulses with purpose.” – The Guardian

“Iyer’s writing demands attention, but the execution by this dream team elevates it even further. A standout.” – DownBeat

"Rambunctious, furiously funky.... (the sextet offers) the sort of head-bobbing drive and invention that has landed Iyer on multiple best-of lists over the years" — LA Times