AccelerandoACT ****

Influential New York pianist Vijay Iyer is a sorcerer of rhythm, with formidable intellectual as well as musical chops, and there's a satisfying complexity to his music, as though the playing is just the tip of the iceberg. One senses vast amounts of information – and practice – lurking just beneath the surface, which imparts a particular kind of density to the group's sound. The tunes are a mix of the pianist's jagged originals and choice covers ranging from Herbie Nichols's Wildflower to Michael Jackson's Human Nature. They build in waves of riff and melody, embedded in organic rhythms that spiral upwards out of the groove. Bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Marcus Gilmore have been active partners in the development of the trio's unique palette over the past decade, and Gilmore in particular has developed a knack for complex, lop-sided rhythms that constantly shift and surprise, whilst never straying too far from the groove. Music for the head and the feet, if not always the heart. vijay-iyer.com