Jason Moran: An Artist in Residence

Although some folks say that Jason Moran is a risk taker and seeker of new directions for jazz, Moran modestly states he is constantly referring back to music as it progressed throughout history and trying to find ways to modernize and bring change to it. Moran finds inspiration through his association with diverse art forms. He has been inspired by painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, Egon Schiele's painting "Facing Left," and Robert Rauschenberg's "Black Stars," which motivated Moran's third album.

In fact, Moran was commissioned to compose music by 3 separate Art institutes: The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, the Dia Art Foundation, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. As a result, Moran and his band, The Bandwagon, which consists of Tarus Mateen on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums, (which included guest appearances by Alicia Hall Moran, Abdou Mboup, Joan Jonas and Ralph Alessi, et al.), went into the studio to record these commissioned works for a broader audience on CD. The result was his most current musical offering "Artist In Residence" in release by Blue Note Records.

"The Walker Museum is a museum, a gallery space, theatre space, performance space and even a venue for film. They have captured the true artistic flavor in all the genres. You can go see the best in dance, theatre, music and the very best in contemporary American art. It's much like the way it was during the Harlem Renaissance" noted Moran. "The Walker Museum pulls together the painters, the artists, the composers in one venue. They commissioned me to write music based on their permanent collections. I chose a work by conceptual artist and philosopher Adrian Piper, The Mythic Being: I/You (her)." We did a single performance there. We did one in Houston and expect to do one in New York" explained Moran.

"I was an Artist in Residence at the Museum for a year and thus the title of my CD. I spent time with the curator and program directors trying to figure out a way to create music that was not only musical but captured the notion and cohesion of the artist and the audience. I actually played music behind the varied artists and performers as they described their art. When one studies the space and the artwork, one can get caught up in motion and sound. Caught up in how the audience listens. I even noted sounds the audience made; dropping spoons and clicking glasses became musical noise. Yet it meshed and became a relationship that captured the give and take between artist and listener and the energy infused in both" said Moran who was awarded Pianist of the Year by the Jazz Journalist Association in 2005.

Moran played background to a piece entitled The Shape, the Scent, the Feel of Things, which is included in the Artist In Residence CD. It is a piece that Moran developed over a 12 week period while working with video/performance artist Joan Jonas at the Dia: Beacon, a 300,000 square-foot museum located in upstate, New York. Moran composed and performed a live sound 90-minute abstract landscape work. Included in these works was "Arizona Landscape," a solo piano piece inspired by historian Aby Warburg's writing about the Pueblo Native American culture.

"Arizona Landscape," was done in collaboration with Joan Jonas" remarked the melodic artist of fine art. "She had a scene where she videotaped the Arizona landscape. The Native American is actually absent in the piece because the Pueblo Indians were skeptical about getting their photos taken. They believe to do so, might take away a part of their soul" so in a way the music is a reflection of them but has not incorporated them" said Moran.

A native of Houston, Texas, Moran started playing piano at 6 years old. Later, he attended the Manhattan School of Music. "When I was young, my mother wanted to keep us busy during the summer so she put my brothers and me in music camp. Both my parents were very culturally involved. They loved music and art, not only for its entertainment value but for its political aspect as well. I came from a very close knit family. In fact, most of my family lived in the same zip code. I was lucky to have a family that introduced us as children to different art forms" recalled the talented musician who fell in love with Jazz after hearing Thelonious Monk.

Jason's wife, soprano Alicia Hall Moran, is also involved in his music. She wrote the title song "Milestone" on his recent album and is featured on vocals. In fact, "Milestone" is a love story straight from the couple's marriage. "None of my work would be any good if Alicia weren't around," said Moran of his musical association with his wife. In fact, the couple often collaborate on projects as a creative team; even performing together at Columbia University and the Romare Bearden Gallery.

Other pieces on Artist In Residence are entitled: "Lift Every Voice And Sing" (written by James Weldon Johnson in the 1900s), "Break Down," "Cradle Song," and "Rain" a sextet piece commissioned by Jazz at Lincoln Center. A piece inspired by the "ring shout" from the slavery era.

At 31, Jason is still striving to put his stamp on his music. "'I have only just begun' says Moran who focuses on change in his music and life. "I think about change. Everything changes eventually. The one constant is change."

To find out more about Jason Moran see: www.JasonMoran.com

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