Vijay Iyer Quotes

It is one thing to be a virtuoso, but a different thing to play with compassion.

Whatever we can do to just give people a sense of hope in the face of what seems like hopelessness. That's a small thing that an artist can do sometimes.

I like the idea of the objecthood of music being destabilized by process and things like improvisation. That's what empowers us; that's how we make each day new as players, as people.

What we call music is what reminds us of ourselves. And sometimes electronic music helps lead the imagination to a space that seems outside of ourselves. But it never really is.

I want to make sure that I represent a variety of backgrounds and that represents the reality out here in the world.

Resonance is a physical process through which similarities are highlighted.

This is the last sentence of my dissertation: "What is soul in music if not powerfully embodied human presence?"

To interact means being among others, and taking others into account in a way, to act.

I make a lot of music with other desis - that's hugely important to me, but it can't be the sum total of who I am and what I do. It's not accurate; it doesn't reflect my life experience.

My music is always called "cerebral." It is a way of saying I'm Asian, and therefore everything I do is brainy.