Vijay Iyer Wins a 2013 MacArthur Fellowship ("Genius Grant")

[bluenoter]

He's the only jazz musician among the 24 MacArthur Fellows for 2013.

Through his wide-ranging body of work, Iyer is creating a unique voice in diverse musical contexts while reaffirming the place of music not just as entertainment but as an essential part of human society. . . .

Fellows will each receive a no-strings-attached stipend of $625,000 (increased from $500,000) paid out over five years. Without stipulations or reporting requirements, the Fellowship provides maximum freedom for recipients to follow their own creative vision.

Meet the Class of 2013: Vijay Iyer

The Class of 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7L7gQSwONI

[Tom Storer]

Meanwhile, the jazz Internet is all abuzz with hatin' and defendin'. Vijay Iyer doesn't deserve it! Does too! Witness this article:

http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2013/10/02/on-vijay-iyer-kurt-rosenwinkel-huffpo-greatness-prizes-and-hype/

In it one learns that Kurt Rosenwinkel said to his Facebook audience:

"Well I guess i will be one who says it: Vijay Iyer is not a great pianist. sorry Vijay, nothing personal, but amongst the deluge of praise I must as a voice of the initiated be one who gives a counterbalance. No touch, no tone, no melody, nothing exceptional in any way. sorry, i’m not hating i’m just de-glorifying. it’s just not true. sorry."

When the MacArthur Foundation gives a grant to a jazz musician, the jazz community always reacts as if it is a jazz prize. But it's not: it isn't supposed to be a prize for "best jazz musician." Their own definition of their strategy says: "The MacArthur Fellows Program awards unrestricted fellowships to talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction." Because they award grants in a very large range of areas, there is bound to be a certain distance from nitty-gritty assessment of the finer points of whatever the discipline is for a given grant. They don't sit down and say, "How's his tone and touch? Does he come up with better melodies than Kurt Rosenwinkel?"

As for Rosenwinkel, it's unfortunate when an artist decides that he or she can speak for "the initiated" and deliver a condemnation as if it were received truth. In such a case there is unavoidably a suspicion of jealousy: if not jealousy of the grant itself, jealousy of the right to judge. He would have shown more class by simply offering congratulations for good fortune or else remaining silent.

[John L]

Come to think of it, I can't recall ever being knocked out by a Kurt Rosenwinkel melody. I'd rather listen to Vijay.

[steve(thelil)]

Sorry John for sending a PM when i meant to post publicly. It's a chronic condition I have.

Anyway, Kurt was just lobbying for the MacArthur Douchebag Award.

[bluenoter]

Meanwhile, the jazz Internet is all abuzz with hatin' and defendin'. Vijay Iyer doesn't deserve it! Does too! Witness this article:

http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2013/10/02/on-vijay-iyer-kurt-rosenwinkel-huffpo-greatness-prizes-and-hype/ . . .

There's now a follow-up:

Kurt Rosenwinkel apologizes and clarifies

[John L]

Sorry John for sending a PM when i meant to post publicly. It's a chronic condition I have.

Anyway, Kurt was just lobbying for the MacArthur Douchebag Award.

[Tom Storer]

In his apologetic clarification, Rosenwinkel says: "Critics should ask more musicians what their opinions are about whats going on in the scene."

Actually, I'm sure critics do ask musicians what they think. But what Rosenwinkel doesn't seem to get is that musicians do not all agree, not any more than the jazz public does.

[walto]

Is there a list of all the musician winners of this prize someplace? My sense is that it's not just a matter of differing tastes but of successful politicking--like many major awards. E.g., the record companies don't just sit back and see whether they'll win some Grammys this year.

[steve(thelil)]

What a cynic.

[John L]

In his apology, Rosenwinckel is still making the same mistake that Tom pointed out in his first post. The McArthur Fellowship is not intended to be given to who critics, musicians, and anybody think are the "best" musicians. It is given to people who are believed to have an expectional capacity to be innovative. I think that Vijay is a fine choice for the award.