Tirtha (album)

Tirtha
Studio album by Vijay Iyer with Prasanna and Nitin Mitta
Released	February 25, 2011
Recorded	August 11 & 12, 2008 at Systems Two in Brooklyn NY
Genre	Asian-American jazz
Length	60:31
Label	ACT Music ACT 9503
Producer	Tirtha
Vijay Iyer chronology
Door (2007) Tirtha (2011) Accelerando (2012)

Tirtha is an album by pianist Vijay Iyer with Prasanna and Nitin Mitta recorded in 2008 and released on the ACT label in 2011. ^[1]

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	81/100 [2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
All About Jazz	[4]
The Guardian	[5]
Los Angeles Times	[6]
musicOMH	[7]
Tom Hull	B+ [8]

The album received universal acclaim with Metacritic giving it a score of 81 from 8 reviews. ^[9] Thom Jurek, in his review for AllMusic states, "Tirtha is a triumph; it is a high-water mark in hearing the constantly evolving discussion between jazz and Indian music". ^[3] Writing for All About Jazz, Mark F. Turner said "the recording crosses the channels of jazz and Indian music, eschewing the hybridization of the two styles; a semblance of familiarity but also something entirely fresh. The nine tracks contain robust elements of ethnicity, thriving improvisation, and exhaustive composition; steeped in modern and old worlds". ^[4] The Guardian review by John Fordham awarded the album 4 stars noting "Iyer and his partners sound like a spontaneous ensemble from the outset – not self-conscious participants in a fusion experiment". ^[5]

Track listing

All compositions by Vijay Iyer except as indicated

1. "Duality" - 5:59
2. "Tribal Wisdom" (Prasanna) - 11:06
3. "Tirtha" - 7:04
4. "Abundance" - 7:46
5. "Falsehood" (Prasanna) - 6:38
6. "Gauntlet" - 2:10
7. "Polytheism" (Prasanna) - 5:43
8. "Remembrance" - 6:09
9. "Entropy and Time" (Prasanna based on a composition by T.R. Subramanyam) - 7:58

Personnel

• Vijay Iyer — piano
• Prasanna — guitar, voice
• Nitin Mitta — tabla

References

1. ACT discography accessed October 8, 2015
2. "Tirtha by Vijay Iyer". Metacritic . metacritic.com. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
3. Jurek, Thom. Tirtha – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
4. Turner, Mark F. (March 18, 2011). "Vijay Iyer: Tirtha". allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
5. Fordham, John (April 8, 2011). "Vijay Iyer: Tirtha review". theguardian.com. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
6. BARTON, CHRIS (March 8, 2011). "Album review: Vijay Iyer, Prasanna and Nitin Mitta's 'Tirtha'". Los Angeles Times . latimes.com. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
7. Paton, Daniel (February 21, 2011). "Vijay Iyer with Prasanna and Nitin Mitta – Tirtha". musicOMH . musicomh.com. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
8. Hull, Tom. "Tom Hull: Grade List: Vijay Iyer". tomhull.com . Retrieved July 30, 2020.
9. Metacritic summary, accessed October 8, 2015