Jazz Articles about Jason Moran

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 ...

Jason Moran: Modernistic

by Mark F. Turner
September 17, 2002

Let's just cut to the chase. Jazz pianist Jason Moran has the goods. And more importantly, he has his own set of goods. His voice is unique among an onslaught of talented pianists. Exhilarating, challenging, and animated, are just a view of the ways to describe Moran's delivery. A student of the late Jaki Byard, his influences are as diverse as his abilities. His past releases and collaborations with Greg Osby have revealed comps and solos that were clearly beyond ...

Jason Moran: Black Stars

by C. Andrew Hovan
November 1, 2001

Among the current crop of jazzmen at the new Blue Note, Jason Moran just might be the most ambitious. At a time when it seems that much of the current crop of new releases will have limited shelf lives at best, Moran’s music strikes a more profound chord. At present, a shining star in Greg Osby’s current ensemble, Moran has released his own highly rewarding series of dates for Blue Note, with Black Stars arguably being his most audacious set ...

A Fireside Chat With Jason Moran

by AAJ Staff
October 10, 2001

Frankly, I am not qualified to offer up an opinion of improvised music. And I am confident that no one outside the artists themselves are truly qualified. So my approach to Firesides has always been to never be presumptuous enough to interpret the artist's words or offer up context to them. Instead, I have always done the only thing I know how and that is get the fuck out of the way. Having said that, allow me to return the ...

Jason Moran: Black Stars

by David Adler
September 1, 2001

Jason Moran’s third Blue Note release features the Facing Left trio in the company of Sam Rivers, incredibly robust at 77 years of age. It’s an all-acoustic outing this time around — no Fender Rhodes, no Hammond B-3. The presence of Rivers really brings out the fire in Moran and his colleagues, bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits. There’s a live intensity to this session that wasn't as present on the previous one.The repertoire on Black Stars ...

Jason Moran: Black Stars

by AAJ Staff
August 1, 2001

The point of departure is clear. But from there, where does one go? On Black Stars, his third release as a leader for Blue Note, pianist Jason Moran shares one vision of contemporary jazz. Joined by septuagenarian jazz innovator, Sam Rivers, Moran fuses antecedent genres with his own sensibility to produce an album with a darkly modern sound.

Acknowledging the elder musician’s avant-garde heritage, the set opens with the free jazz inspired “Foot Under Foot”. After the theme stated in ...