# Vijay Iyer at Zellerbach Hall Auditorium, June 17, 2017

[Cal Performances](https://calperformances.org/performances/2016-17/ojai/ojai-at-berkeley.php) presents [Vijay Iyer](http://www.vijay-iyer.com/) & Friends: _Confluence_ featuring [Zakir Hussain](http://www.zakirhussain.com/), [Rudresh Mahanthappa](http://rudreshm.com/) and [Aruna Sairam](http://www.arunasairam.org/)  
[Zellerbach Hall Auditorium](http://www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/)  
[U.C. Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA 94305 USA](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=U.C.+Berkeley,+Bancroft+Way+at+Telegraph+Ave,+Berkeley,+CA+94305+USA&hl=en)  
2:00 PM, Saturday, June 17, 2017

[[2017-06-16|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2017|Up to the 2017 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2017#June_events|Up to the 2017 event list!]] ☸  [[2017-06-17-2|On to the next event!]]

## One Set

[2:07 PM lights down, applause at band entrance; Vijay speaks a bit]

01. [2:13 PM] _Eeeeee_
02. [2:23 PM] _City of Sand_
03. [2:37 PM] _Rag ?Andolan_
04. [2:56 PM] _Snap_
05. [3:07 PM] _Abundance_
06. [3:24 PM] _Punjab_  
[set ends 3:33 PM; bows, then all off for a few minutes; band back at 3:35 PM, tuning & noodling; Vijay introduces the final piece]  
   
**Encore**
07. [3:37 PM] _Kalinga Nartana Tillana_  
[show ends 3:45 PM]


## Performers

* [Zakir Hussain](http://www.zakirhussain.com/): tabla, percussion, vox;
* [Vijay Iyer](http://www.vijay-iyer.com/): piano;
* [Rudresh Mahanthappa](http://rudreshm.com/): alto saxophone;
* [Aruna Sairam](http://www.arunasairam.org/): vox.


## Notes

An excellent show! _Eeeeee_ set the standard: capturing my attention immediately, and transporting me to some far away plane of auditory existence. _City of Sand_ was slow and exquisitely meditative: a nice contrast to the more frenetic opener. Aruna Sairam introduced the following tune, but I didn't quite catch the name, _Rag ?Andolan_ is my best guess; I also wrote that it uses only five notes. _Snap_ was another fast tune, quite fun to listen to. _Abundance_ was probably the slowest piece of the set -- and also my favorite.

In retrospect, I should have noted the composers for each piece, as Vijay identified them with each introduction; for the moment, I recall only that _Eeeeee_ was written by Mahanthappa. Hmmn. Looks like I need to do additional research!

Anyways, I was very happy when the musicians walked back onstage for an encore, and if I understood Sairam correctly, the final composition, _Kalinga Nartana Tillana_, was written in the 18th Century to commemorate Lord Krishna's encounter with Kaliya, a five-headed river cobra, at Vrindavan. Wikipedia has a helpful page about the [backstory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaliya), and Nikhil has posted a truly excellent [blog article](https://nikhiletc.wordpress.com/2016/03/17/sometimes-god-just-has-to-dance-on-a-snake-you-know/) about the work.

Mark Macnamara posted a preview [interview](https://www.sfcv.org/article/vijay-iyer-at-ojai-part-ii-shocks-to-the-system) with Vijay at SFCV.

{{tag>music Vijay_Iyer Zakir_Hussain Rudresh_Mahanthappa Aruna_Sairam Zellerbach_Hall_Auditorium}}

[[2017-06-16|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2017|Up to the 2017 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2017#June_events|Up to the 2017 event list!]] ☸  [[2017-06-17-2|On to the next event!]]