This night is devoted to a pair of projects in collaboration with Nigerian-American poet and writer Teju Cole, who adds spoken word passages to Open City, Iyer’s large-group piece inspired by Cole’s award-winning 2012 novel, as well as Blindspot, their incisive new multimedia work. Commissioned by Montclair State University and premiered in 2013, Open City is an interdisciplinary project blending composed and improvised sections with a large and diverse lineup of artists that mirrors Cole’s novel, which examines city life from a variety of cultural perspectives. Iyer and Cole’s powerful new collaboration, Blindspot, combines photography and Cole’s own voice with Iyer’s ensemble in an investigation of humanity’s voluntary blindness to tragedy and injustice throughout history. In addition to Iyer and Cole, the musicians assembled for this evening include basssist Stephan Crump from Iyer’s working trio, acclaimed drummer Tyshawn Sorey, visionary saxophonist and composer Steve Lehman, flutist and SFJAZZ High School All-Stars alum Elena Pinderhughes, composer and cornetist Graham Haynes, improvising guitarist Rafiq Bhatia, and more.
Cost: $35-$90