Jason Moran (musician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jason Moran
Moran in Aarhus, Denmark
Background information
Born	(1975-01-21) January 21, 1975 (age 50) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer
Instruments	Piano

Jason Moran (born January 21, 1975) is a famous American jazz pianist and composer. He also teaches music and creates cool art projects that mix different types of art, like music with videos or theater.

Jason Moran first recorded with Greg Osby. He became a band leader with his 1999 album Soundtrack to Human Motion. Since then, Moran has released many albums. He plays with his trio, The Bandwagon, and also performs by himself. He mixes different styles of music, like post-bop jazz, avant-garde jazz, blues, classical music, stride piano, and hip hop.

Jason Moran's Music Journey

Starting Out in Houston

Jason Moran was born in Houston, Texas. He grew up in the Pleasantville neighborhood. His parents, Andy and Mary, loved music and art. They took him to the Houston Symphony, museums, and art galleries. They also had a big collection of records.

Jason started learning to play classical piano when he was six years old. He used the Suzuki method music school. But he liked hip hop music more than piano for a while.

When he was 13, he heard the song "′Round Midnight" by Thelonious Monk. This changed everything for him! Monk's music sounded simple and had lots of quiet parts. The rhythms reminded him of hip hop. After that, Jason focused on jazz. Both jazz and hip hop were popular in the skateboarding scene he was part of.

He went to Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA). He graduated in 1993 from their jazz program. In his last year, he led the school's jazz combo. He was also part of the Texas all-state jazz ensemble.

Becoming a Professional Musician

After high school, Jason went to the Manhattan School of Music. He studied with the pianist Jaki Byard. In 1997, he joined a special workshop called Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead. He wrote a piece called "Make a Decision" for the final concert.

In 1997, Jason was invited to join the band of saxophonist Greg Osby. They went on a tour in Europe. Osby really liked Jason's piano playing. Jason kept playing with Osby's group when they came back to the United States. His first recorded music was on Osby's 1997 Blue Note Records album, Further Ado. Osby also introduced him to other amazing jazz pianists.

Because of his time with Osby, Jason signed his own contract with Blue Note Records. His first album, Soundtrack to Human Motion, came out in 1998. On this album, he played with Osby, drummer Eric Harland, vibraphonist Stefon Harris, and bassist Lonnie Plaxico.

The Bandwagon and New Sounds

Jason's next album, Facing Left, came out in 2000. It featured a trio that became known as The Bandwagon. This group included Jason, bassist Tarus Mateen, and drummer Nasheet Waits. They played some of Jason's songs and some by other artists like Duke Ellington and Björk.

For their next album, Black Stars (2001), saxophonist and pianist Sam Rivers joined The Bandwagon. This album was even named one of "The 50 Most Important Recordings of the Decade" by NPR!

In 2002, Jason released a solo piano album called Modernistic. The next year, he released a live album with The Bandwagon. It was recorded at the famous Village Vanguard in New York City.

Jason also performed at the Montreal International Jazz Festival in 2003. He played with Lee Konitz and then with his trio. He also toured with Don Byron's Ivey-Divey Trio for several years.

His 2005 album, Same Mother, explored the blues. Guitarist Marvin Sewell joined The Bandwagon for this album.

Jason's 2006 album, Artist in Residence, featured music he created for art museums. For example, "Milestone" was for a visual art piece. "The Shape, the Scent, the Feel of Things" was for an art installation. "RAIN" was inspired by African American spiritual traditions.

Multimedia Projects and Collaborations

In 2007, Jason premiered IN MY MIND. This was a multimedia show inspired by Thelonious Monk's 1959 concert. It used old videos and recordings of Monk. It also featured video art and a painting by Glenn Ligon. Jason's Big Bandwagon, a larger version of his trio with a horn section, played the music. The New York Times said it had a "magical balance." A documentary film was later made about this show.

In April 2007, Jason became the pianist for Charles Lloyd's New Quartet. They have toured and recorded several albums together. Jason and Lloyd also recorded a duo album called Hagar's Song in 2013.

From 2009 to 2012, Jason toured with Dave Holland's Overtone Quartet.

Jason created music for many other projects. "Live: Time" (2008) was for an art exhibition about The Quilts of Gee's Bend. "Cane" (2008) was written for a classical wind group called Imani Winds. This piece was inspired by his family history in Louisiana. He also scored a ballet called "Refraction" (2009). Jason also worked with artist Glenn Ligon on a video artwork called The Death of Tom.

Recent Works

The album Ten, released in 2010, celebrated ten years since The Bandwagon's first album. It included music from his museum projects and a score for a documentary film. It also featured a song by Jimi Hendrix and a composition by Thelonious Monk. Ten won "Jazz Album of the Year" in a critics' poll. Jason was also named "Pianist of the Year" and "Jazz Artist of the Year."

Since 2011, Jason has performed a show called "Fats Waller dance party." This show became the album All Rise: A Joyful Elegy for Fats Waller in 2014. It honored Fats Waller and the fun, popular jazz of his time. Many different musicians joined Jason for this show.

Jason's composition "Slang" was created for a festival in San Francisco in 2011. In 2012, Jason and his wife, Alicia Hall Moran, put on a week-long art event called BLEED. Later that year, he performed a new show with artist Joan Jonas called Reanimation. In 2013 and 2014, Jason and The Bandwagon played music for skateboarding shows.

In 2014, Jason wrote "Jump Cut Rose" for Imani Winds and piano. He also worked on a theater show called Looks of A Lot about Chicago's art history. He played with The Bandwagon and other musicians for this show. He also created the music for the important 2016 documentary film 13th.

Jason has recorded with many other famous musicians. These include Steve Coleman, Charles Lloyd, Cassandra Wilson, and Joe Lovano. He also performed with Marian McPartland, Wayne Shorter, and Bill Frisell.

Jason and his family also help young jazz students. They manage the "Moran Scholarship Award" for students at HSPVA. In 2005, they started The Mary Lou Chester Moran Foundation in Houston to help more students.

In 2015, Jason became an Honorary Professor at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory (RMC) in Copenhagen, Denmark. He often teaches workshops there.

In 2018, Jason's art was shown in a museum for the first time at the Walker Art Center. He also wrote the music for 'Between the World and Me' by Ta-Nehisi Coates, which was performed at the Apollo Theater.

Awards and Honors

Jason Moran has won many awards for his music.

• In 2003, he won the Jazz Journalists Association's Up-n-Coming Jazz Musician award.
• The Down Beat critics' poll voted him Rising Star Jazz Artist, Rising Star Pianist, and Rising Star Composer for three years in a row (2003–2005).
• In 2007, he was named a USA Prudential Fellow by United States Artists.
• In 2010, he received a very special award called a MacArthur Fellow. This award is given to talented people in many fields.
• In 2010, his album Ten was voted "Jazz Album of the Year." Jason was also voted "Pianist of the Year" and "Jazz Artist of the Year."
• In 2011, JazzTimes' critics voted him second place "Artist of the Year" and first place "Pianist of the Year."

In 2013, Jason was an artist-in-residence at SFJAZZ, Juilliard, and the Molde Jazz Festival.

A new documentary film called Grammar is being made about "jazz through Jason Moran."

Family

Jason Moran married Alicia Hall, a mezzo-soprano singer and artist, in 2003. They have worked on several art projects together. They live in Harlem and have twin children. Jason has an older and a younger brother. Two of his cousins, Tony and Michael Llorens, were also musicians who toured with Albert King.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Soundtracks

Jason Moran has also created music for several films:

• Two Three Time (2002)
• Five Deep Breaths (2003)
• All We Know of Heaven (2004)
• Stutter (2007)
• RFK in the Land of Apartheid (2009)
• Selma (2014)
• 13th (2016)
• Traveling While Black (2019)
• Aggie (2020)

As sideman

Jason Moran has played piano on albums by many other artists, including:

• Ralph Alessi
• Steve Coleman and Five Elements
• Bunky Green
• Stefon Harris
• Charles Lloyd
• Greg Osby
• Don Byron
• Christian McBride
• Paul Motian
• David Murray
• Henry Threadgill
• Cassandra Wilson

See also

In Spanish: Jason Moran (músico) para niños