Jazz Articles about Jason Moran

Jason Moran: The Bandwagon

by Mark F. Turner
October 24, 2003

This is not your typical Bandwagon...

Jason Moran's Bandwagon forges a path of individuality that is in stark contrast to typical jazz piano trios. The artist is well known for his prodigious talent and his much-earned respect for being both unconventional and progressive in his approach. The new release is not an exception. While the true essence of recorded live performances can be difficult to capture, Moran's concert at the Village Vanguard gives an aural picture of one of today's ...

Jason Moran: The Bandwagon

by Rex Butters
October 23, 2003

For his fifth Blue Note album, Jason Moran continues to build creative momentum. Once again, Moran stands as a conduit for a wide range of musical sources, from blues to classical to hip-hop to the Great American Songbook, often within the same song. His seemingly limitless vocabulary finds sympathetic support from two longtime collaborators, bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits. The tracks on The Bandwagon come from a six-day run at the Village Vanguard, and Moran & Co. continually ...

'The Bandwagon' Storms The Kennedy Center

by Franz A. Matzner
October 23, 2003

October 15, 2003 The Kennedy Center Washington, D.C.

Virtually drowning in accolades, Jason Moran needs little introduction. With the support of his band-mates, Tarus Mateen (bass) and Nasheet Waits (drums), Moran has established himself at the forefront of modern jazz, particularly with the breakthrough album released this year, The Bandwagon. One element contributing to Moran’s success has been his dedication to maintaining a working trio, the tight-knit results of which were clear during Wednsday night’s performance ...

Jason Moran on 'The Bandwagon'

by Franz A. Matzner
October 9, 2003

Jason Moran is busy. Busy touring to promote his upcoming release The Bandwagon , a live album featuring his outstanding trio; he’s busy winning critics and readers poles; he’s busy talking to reporters; and he’s busy carving out time for younger musicians like those gathered at the recent clinic Moran held at the University of Maryland during the 25th Kappel International Piano Competition and Festival. When I caught up with him, Moran had just finished a full ...

Jason Moran: The Bandwagon

by Jay Collins
October 7, 2003

Without a doubt, Jason Moran is now at the forefront of so-called modern jazz. While he has his share of detractors, his stature is certainly deserved. Possessed with a fearless technique, an impressive pedigree (both in terms of his mentors and his former employers), a striking compositional style and adventurousness within the conventional framework of the piano trio, Moran’s future is secure. On each successive release, beginning with Soundtrack to Human Motion, Moran has sought to make his recordings both ...

Jason Moran: The Bandwagon

by Franz A. Matzner
August 25, 2003

Evaluating Jason Moran’s latest release, Bandwagon, feels as inconsequential as describing the relative worth of oceanic conditions or the comparative pleasures of desert vistas, mountainous landscapes, and tundra planes. For Moran’s music is as much a display of nature, and incorporating as varied a range of phenomena, as the above physical environments. Moran has so fully absorbed the range of jazz piano technique, and he delves so deeply into himself when playing that little remains for the ...

A Fireside Chat With Jason Moran (2002)

by AAJ Staff
October 10, 2002

I have always liked Jason Moran. If not his killing playing, his uncanny unwillingness to need to be the king of the playground. He is comfortable with his identity and so his approach is clear and ultimately his own. Now, I don't know much, but I have known since Oz's Further Ado, “JaMo" was to be recognized and more than five years later, Moran is watercooler chatter for jazz journalists. They come around in time. As always, unedited and in ...