JASON MORAN & THE BANDWAGON
Village Vanguard178 7th Avenue South, New York 10014
Jason Moran & The Bandwagon play a late set at the Village Vanguard. The billed act is Moran’s long-running trio, with its documented core formation of Moran on piano, Tarus Mateen on bass, and Nasheet Waits on drums. No further details about the evening or any additional players are available.
Houston-born pianist and composer Moran leads a group known for putting jazz tradition in conversation with experimentation and broader musical influences. The Kennedy Center says Moran and The Bandwagon have challenged the status quo in “improvisation, composition, group concept, repertoire, technique, and experimentation,” while the Whitney calls the trio’s language “fluid and miscalculated,” devoted to jazz’s past and “its conceptual futures.” Moran has worked with Greg Osby, Charles Lloyd, Steve Coleman, and visual artist Joan Jonas. All About Jazz called The Bandwagon “one of today’s most dynamic” groups; the Hopkins Center praised its “intuitive and bold interplay.” The New York Times heard a sound “fierce” and “bigger and more indivisible than a trio.”
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.