Iyer, Eicher and ECM sweep DownBeat Poll

Vijay Iyer is Jazz Artist of the Year and the Vijay Iyer Trio is Jazz Group of the Year in the DownBeat International Critics Poll, results of which are published in the August issue of the US magazine.

Manfred Eicher is again Producer of the Year and ECM is label of the Year. This is the seventh time in recent history that Eicher and his label have taken first place positions in the annual poll.

In an accompanying interview, Vijay Iyer talks about recording with ECM: “One thing we gained from ECM is the ability to play quiet and be heard. There’s all this subtlety at this barely audible kind of level that’s now being featured, so all these details about touch, texture and resonance – that tactile quality, the really intimate aspect of the music – are present … It’s nice to find ways to express inside that quiet space.”

from www.ecmrecords.com