This week’s guest is musician, Vijay Iyer. Vijay is not only a grammy nominated jazz pianist, he’s also a professor at harvard, and a MacArthur Fellow, which is also known as the ‘genius grant’ given to 20 and 30 individuals every year, working in any field, who have shown "extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction" and are citizens or residents of the United States.

We talk about how the classical music community in his hometown affected his early life, learning how to play piano by ear by listening to Michael Jackson and Prince, how the great Herbie Hancock influenced his approach to music, and the politics of jazz. The highlight of hte episode however is the way he talks about music and performance, and you can really hear his brilliance when he does.