Jason Moran: The Monday Interview

After a decade spent seemingly trying to prove the breadth of what he and his band can achieve, jazz pianist Jason Moran celebrates with an album that allows the trio to simply dig in and play.

The result is TEN, the most satisfying to these ears disc since 2001’s Black Stars. That’s not to say that the intervening music was disappointing. Moran’s quest to explore the boundaries of solo performance (Modernistic), examine the similarities between jazz and the blues (Same Mother) and meld visual and performing arts with music (Artist in Residence) all were bracingly original collections of music that highlighted the strengths of the group and its leader.

But for my money, hearing Moran, drummer Nasheet Waits and bassist Tarus Mateen rip through a clutch of originals and well-thought covers without the various experiments getting in the way is just about as good as jazz gets these days.

All of those explorations have value, of course; Moran is, if possible, more assured and commanding as a player, composer and band leader today than he was a decade ago, and his success with these various new tools surely plays a part.

TEN, which marks the 10th anniversary of the Bandwagon – Moran, Waits and Mateen – allows the trio to showcase its telepathic interplay on what is perhaps the strongest set of songs Moran has issued. From the fierce “RFK in the Land of Apartheid,” to the dreamscape soundtrack of Conlon Nancarrow’s “Study No. 6,” Moran and his bandmates inhabit a full spectrum of tone, dynamics and sound.

And despite having a similar genesis to its predecessor – both include work Moran composed for various commissions – this one hangs together like an album much more successfully. It still includes some experimentation, with found sounds and some electronics incorporated, but these feel much more organic, of a piece with the compositions in question than such forays did in the past. Moran seems to have found a way to absorb these elements more effectively, making them integral elements rather than bells and whistles.

All of this results in an album that will spend considerable time in whatever player you use, only to be removed at year’s end when you stack up the best of the year to compile your list.

TIRBD: The title TEN refers to the 10th anniversary of your group, Bandwagon. Was the intent all along to have a long-running group? What can the group do now that it couldn’t a decade ago?

JM: The intent I think was exactly to have a longstanding group. I realized that some of the best groups have been doing it for years: Wayne Shorter, Modern Jazz Quartet, Keith Jarrett, The Bad Plus, etc.  These groups have a sound, and also an attitude.  So, to have Tarus and Nasheet is a real blessing because we’ve known each other before The Bandwagon, and know what it is to be in a group and not be able to play freely. I enjoy having them around because they really take control of the music, and they do not apologize.

Now, the group can really be confident in it’s inadequacies and really exploit them to make something positive out of it.  Also, the Bandwagon gets more and more opportunities outside of the “jazz world” and that was not happening 10 years ago.  From working with artists, choreographers and filmmakers.

It seems as if there is no real concept behind TEN, just good songs that work well with one another. Was the approach to this different from your other albums where there seem to be a more concrete theme or guiding principle behind the work?

Yes, it was different for this very reason. I think the only other recording like this is The Bandwagon live at the Village Vanguard.  And well, we sound good together, and sometimes “just playing” is the best medicine.

What was appealing about the Conlon Nancarrow tune, “Study No. 6”? By including this song, are you hoping to draw attention to an overlooked composer?

Well, I like to think that I’m constantly bringing up people that are “under-promoted” as Andrew Hill liked to say.  Nancarrow is one of these geniuses of contemporary music.  I really am just in love with the melody, and also thought it would be “cool” to have Nancarrow in a list of composers on TEN that include Byard, Hill, Mateen, Bert Williams, Monk, etc.  By looking at those composers you’d easily think that Nancarrow was an African-American male jazz musician.  Funny.  But the music he wrote for player piano was amazing because he really took jazz piano language to a bizarre place while using a machine.  It’s so progressive that it still works today.

The cover of TEN has that classic Blue Note feel, which stands in contrast to the more modern feel of much of the art that graces your albums. Was that intentional? How important is the visual presentation of your music?

I worked with a young conceptual artist, Adam Pendleton, for the cover.  Here’s a quote from an e-mail: “my idea is to take it back. back to the heyday of Blue Note album cover art, a lot of that stuff is classic, timeless work…”

So, it’s very intentional.  Visual representation is extremely important to me. I grew up with a lot of art around the house, and know lots of artists. I’ve always enjoyed learning the processes of different artists, and know that “jazz” can still have a contemporary edge in the way that contemporary art has gone beyond the canvas to express itself.  So, this cover gets very basic in the way that Modernistic has a basic image. It’s naked. Also, on this cover, the word TEN does not appear, just the dots, which have motion and direction.

You have cited inspiration in the visual work of others. Have you ever tried your hand at creating in a different media, such as the visual arts, or has music always been your outlet?

I did try painting for a couple of years, and I was terrible. This was around 8 or 9 years ago.  While I was in this phase, whenever someone would visit my apartment, I would make them paint. So, I have small paintings by Robert Glasper, Greg Osby and a few other notables.  Music has been the best outlet, though I said I’d start trying to sketch again.

Collaboration seems to be a driving force for you, as you have played with dozens of other jazz musicians as well as worked with performance artists, dancers and others. What is it about that interaction that appeals to you?

When I work with other creative people, I do  not get bored.  I love the challenge when working with other artists.  There is a lot of translation that has to happen, especially with non-musicians. And that tests the ability to express another’s vision. Tell the story together.