Jason Moran

Born in Houston, Texas in 1975, Jason Moran has established himself since the late 1990s as a jazz pianist and composer whose work links post-bop, the avant-garde, blues, classical references, and echoes of hip-hop. Originally trained in classical piano and later at the Manhattan School of Music, Moran first drew attention alongside saxophonist Greg Osby before releasing Soundtrack to Human Motion under his own name in 1999. In the early 2000s, he developed a core part of his career with his trio The Bandwagon, founded with Tarus Mateen and Nasheet Waits, heard notably on Facing Left (2000), Black Stars (2001), The Bandwagon (2003) and Ten (2010). His playing strongly articulates rhythm, space, dissonance and quotation, with a constant attention to the history of jazz, from Thelonious Monk to Fats Waller, to whom he dedicated All Rise: A Joyful Elegy for Fats Waller in 2014. Parallel to his solo or group recordings Moran has collaborated with Charles Lloyd, Dave Holland, Don Byron, Imani Winds and visual artists such as Joan Jonas and Glenn Ligon, developing forms that cross concert, performance, installation and image. Also an educator, Moran teaches at the New England Conservatory and has directed the Kennedy Center's jazz programming for several years.