I don't know if that part of your post was intended for me. If it was, I can only say that I have heard of Vijay Iyer for some years, have heard his music here and there and haven't been at all impressed. I was unaware of the Down Beat awards and the NPR critics poll awards that he's won. To me, those things are meaningless and I don't pay any attention to them. If they're meaningful for some people, that's fine for them. And I guess I can be opinionated. Better that than just accepting whatever is offered up with no thought given to what it might be, at least afaic.
If the quoted part of the post wasn't intended for me, please ignore all of the above.