JASON MORAN & THE BANDWAGON
Village Vanguard178 7th Avenue South, New York 10014
Jason Moran & The Bandwagon play Village Vanguard on November 24. The billed act is Moran’s long-running jazz trio, though the personnel for this particular performance have not been specified. Expect a trio set shaped by Moran’s approach to improvisation, composition, repertoire and experimentation, in the Vanguard’s music-first listening room.
Moran is a Houston-born pianist and composer whose work is rooted in jazz tradition while continually testing its possibilities. The Kennedy Center says he and The Bandwagon have challenged the status quo in “improvisation, composition, group concept, repertoire, technique, and experimentation,” while the Los Angeles Times calls him “a startlingly gifted pianist with a relentless thirst for experimentation.” Moran has worked with Charles Lloyd, Dave Holland, Cassandra Wilson and the late Sam Rivers, and has collaborated with visual artists Joan Jonas, Glenn Ligon and Kara Walker. The New York Times has called The Bandwagon “one of the most reliably thrilling groups in jazz”; DownBeat wrote, “No finer piano trio currently stalks the earth.”
A narrow basement staircase leads to a triangular room with a red curtain and a stage at the point, where musicians play for a small audience of 123. Tables open like spokes from the stage, and the walls hold portraits of jazz legends. The acoustics are excellent, and the only sound before the music begins is the hum of the room. No food is served, only drinks at a bar. Shows start at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., with seating beginning at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. respectively. The atmosphere is focused entirely on the music, with silence requested before the concert begins.