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Jason Moran: Black Stars
by Jim Santella
Jason Moran has hit the mark every time out. The adventurous pianist creates suite-like musical portraits that, in the end, will affect the growth of modern mainstream jazz. For his third album as leader, Moran has enlisted saxophonist Sam Rivers. As like-minded improvisers, the four artists drive with considerable force. What makes it work so well is that they share a common approach. Each of the quartet's members supplies a portion of the improvised music that fits that of the ...
Continue ReadingJason Moran: Facing Left
by Jim Santella
A creative artist, who espouses originality, Jason Moran has sidestepped the critics with his modern mainstream approach that blends in elements from all over the spectrum. The pianist and composer has been reviewed with eyes and ears that paint his melodies as unmemorable and academic. It’s possible that some of the criticism has been tempered by a natural dislike for advertising hype and a backlash against the “new young lion" tag. Some of the criticism is of the “technician versus ...
Continue ReadingJason Moran: Facing Left
by Mark Corroto
As I remembered it from world history, it is rarely the revolutionaries that end up ruling after their coup. The same can be said of jazz revolutionaries. Buddy Bolden, perhaps the father of jazz, never recorded. Charlie Parker, father of the bebop revolution, died at age 34 never attaining mass popularity in his lifetime. Even the young lions of the 1980s who overthrew the fusion doldrums seem forever bound to be merely hard-bop repertory bands. It might not be the ...
Continue ReadingJason Moran: Soundtrack to Human Motion
by David Adler
Can we all just agree that this is the debut of the year, if not the record of the year? Jazz has seen its share of excellent young players, but 24-year-old pianist Jason Moran really raises the bar with his superb Soundtrack to Human Motion. Moran explains the title as follows: “I like to think this recording could serve as the soundtrack to all movements a human might make in a given dayï." If only my daily movements were anywhere ...
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