The Vijay Iyer Trio (l-r): Iyer, Marcus Gilmore, Stephan Crump. Photo by Lynne Harty.

Few jazz musicians have garnered as much critical acclaim in recent years as pianist Vijay Iyer. In 2010, the Jazz Journalists Association named him Musician of the Year, putting him along side such legends as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Ornette Coleman. In the same year, his Grammy nominated release, Historicity, was named the top jazz album by The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, National Public Radio and a host of other media outlets. Iyer’s music can be quite cerebral at times, but then he will cover an M.I.A. or Stevie Wonder song and put his own unique spin on it. This is all in keeping with his overall approach to music.

“I’m more interested in human concepts than musical ones,” Iyer recently told DCist. “The techniques we use are only a means to accessing something deeper. My first priority as an artist is connecting with people, not concepts.”

Iyer will lead a trio on Saturday at the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue in a concert presented by the Washington Performing Arts Society. The American born son of Indian immigrants, Iyer’s path was initially not that of a professional musician. He earned his undergraduate degree in math and physics from Yale and went on to complete an interdisciplinary Ph.D in Technology and the Arts at Cal-Berkeley. He currently holds faculty positions at Manhattan School of Music, New York University and The New School and lectures and writes about such wide-ranging topics as music composition and cognitive science. In addition to his own considerable personal accomplishments — which, by the way, also include a bevy of commissioning grants — Iyer is also a willing collaborator. He has joined forces with artists as diverse as saxophonist Rudresh Mahantappa and DJ Spooky.

“I believe that if you have a strong, clear vision as an artist and you pursue opportunities actively, then, over time, things will add up,” Iyer said.

Iyer will be performing along with drummer Marcus Gilmore and bassist Stephan Crump. Gilmore, who is grandson to drumming legend Roy Haynes and just in his mid-20s, is well on his way to becoming a force on his own. Crump is an in-demand sideman who has played with a number of jazz and pop greats. The partnership between these three musicians extends over several years and multiple albums, and the resulting simpatico is obvious. For Saturday’s concert, the program will include a mix of original and cover material — some recorded, some not.

“We’ve had the opportunity to tour a lot in the last couple of years, so the material has become all the more fluid and organic,” Iyer said of the band’s sound.

While Iyer still tours regularly with this and other groups, they are but a few of the many projects he juggles. He just put out an album with Tirtha, an ensemble with two virtuosic Indian musicians. This summer, he is debuting a new sextet and will premiere a commissioned piece with choreographer Karole Armitage at New York’s Central Park Summerstage. In the fall, Brentano String Quartet will tour with an unfinished Mozart string quartet fragment that they commissioned Iyer to “finish.” A piece for Yo Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble will premiere in 2012. Iyer is also working with Mike Ladd on a performance piece about the young veterans from the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. While these projects are quite different in nature, they all share a common motivation with his trio.

“I suppose the goal, if any, is a shared experience that is visceral, cathartic, resonant and encompassing a spectrum of feeling,” Iyer explained. “Mainly, we just try to make music that we like and are passionate about, and we hope that other people like it too.”

The Vijay Iyer Trio performing M.I.A.’s “Galang”:

The Washington Performing Arts Society presents the Vijay Iyer Trio on Saturday, April 30 at the Sixth And I Historic Synagogue. 8 p.m. $30.