Vijay Iyer wins five awards in the DownBeat Magzine International Critics Poll.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

A Jazzmann favourite, pianist Vijay Iyer won awards in five categories in the American jazz magazine DownBeat's annual poll. We have received the attached press release from his UK publicist.

Pianist scoops 5 awards

Pianist Vijay Iyer topped an unprecedented five categories in the 60th Annual DownBeat Magzine International Critics Poll, winning Jazz Artist of the Year, top Pianist and Rising Star Composer. His trio were also named Best Jazz Group and their disc Accelerando (ACT) was named Best Jazz Album.

?This is one of our most exciting polls in years?not just because of its historic nature, but also because of some incredible, record-breaking artistic recognition,? said DownBeat Publisher Frank Alkyer.

?For our 2012 poll, 186 critics from around the globe voted, making this the largest voting turnout in the poll’s illustrious history,? Alkyer said. ?The DownBeat Critics Poll is the most comprehensive poll in the jazz world. Its results show more than 1,000 artists or acts receiving votes in 62 categories, shining a spotlight on every style and every instrument in jazz.?

The Critics Poll is divided into categories for established acts and for Rising Stars. In addition to Jazz categories, the poll also includes Blues and Beyond categories. The complete results are available on the DownBeat website and will be published in the magazine, out in the US on July 17.

This continues an excellent run of success for Vijay Iyer, a vindication of the Financial Times’ assertion in May that he is ?set to win a fistful of honours this year? and as The Guardian says ?The world is full of fine jazz piano trios, but Iyer’s is way up the A-list?.