Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, Shahzad Ismaily perform a Tiny Desk concert. Catie Dull/NPR hide caption

Vijay Iyer
Love In Exile is (from left) Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer and Shahzad Ismaily. The trio just released its self-titled debut album. Ebru Yildiz/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
The trio Love In Exile — (left to right) Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer and Shahzad Ismaily — say that sharing responsibility for the music collectively allows them greater freedom as individuals. Ebru Yildiz/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Top row, left to right: Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer and Shahzad Ismaily trio; Anna B Savage; Pest Control. Bottom row, left to right: Neil Gaiman & FourPlay String Quartet; Mohamad Zatari Trio; Daisies Courtesy of the artists hide caption
New Mix: Anna B Savage, Daisies, Neil Gaiman & FourPlay String Quartet, more
Vijay Iyer. Ebru Yildiz/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
The Hong Kong-based singer-songwriter Cehryl. Her latest release, Time Machine, is one of our picks for the best albums out on April 9. Jonny Ho/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
From left: Tyshawn Sorey, Vijay Iyer and Linda May Han Oh. The trio, Iyer's newest, collaborated on the album Uneasy. Craig Marsden/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
A selection of NPR Music's best 50 albums of 2017. (Clockwise from upper left) Far from Over by Vijay Iyer, Plunge by Fever Ray, Everybody Works by Jay Som, Aromanticism by Moses Sumney, Luv Is Rage 2 by Lil Uzi Vert and 4:44 by Jay-Z. Courtesy of the artists hide caption
Vijay Iyer Lena Adasheva/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Vijay Iyer On Jazz's 'History Of Defiance,' His Influences And Playing In A Sextet
Anonymous (male) jazz players. Markus Amon/Getty Images hide caption
Clockwise from upper left: Esperanza Spalding, Vijay Iyer, The No BS Brass Band, Robert Glasper NPR hide caption
All Songs +1: Our Most Memorable Tiny Desk Jazz Sets
Maria Schneider and Rudresh Mahanthappa share top honors in the 2015 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll. Briene Lermitte/Jimmy Katz/Courtesy of the artists hide caption
Vijay Iyer Trio At Metropolitan Museum Of Art
Jazz at Lincoln Center
Vijay Iyer Trio performs a Tiny Desk Concert on April 20, 2015. Olivia Merrion/NPR hide caption
The audience at the main stage of the Newport Jazz Festival. Adam Kissick for NPR hide caption
For three years, jazz musician Vijay Iyer has worked with poet and performer Mike Ladd to set the words of war veterans to music. The resulting album, released earlier this month, is called Holding It Down: The Veterans' Dreams Project. Jimmy Katz/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Vijay Iyer and Jeremy Denk are 2013 MacArthur fellows. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Filmmaker Prashant Bhargava and jazz musician Vijay Iyer's project Radhe Radhe: a visually and sonically dazzling collaboration. KPO Photo/courtesy of Carolina Performing Arts hide caption