JASON MORAN & THE BANDWAGON
Village Vanguard178 7th Avenue South, New York 10014
Jason Moran & The Bandwagon are billed for the 10 p.m. set at the Village Vanguard on Friday, November 27. The available event material gives no further details of the evening, no separately listed performers, and no indication of a guest, release, tribute, or other special program. The set takes place in the Vanguard’s triangular basement room, where the stage sits at the point of the room and tables fan out toward it. The club asks for silence before the music begins, keeping attention on the performance.
The supplied material identifies the act as Jason Moran & The Bandwagon, but provides no biographical background for Moran or the group, no account of where they come from, no history of collaborations, and no reviews. What it does establish is the setting: the Vanguard’s walls are lined with portraits of jazz legends, its acoustics are noted as excellent, and the room holds 123 listeners. There is a bar but no food service, so this is a late set built around listening rather than a full dinner-and-show evening.
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.