JASON MORAN & THE BANDWAGON
Village Vanguard178 7th Avenue South, New York 10014
Jason Moran brings The Bandwagon to the Village Vanguard for a piano-trio set with bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits. The group has been Moran’s main working vehicle since it began touring in the late 1990s, making this a chance to hear a long-running ensemble whose language has been built through sustained collaboration. In the Vanguard’s triangular basement room, with its stage framed by a red curtain and the audience gathered close at tables, the focus is squarely on the music.
Moran is a Houston-born pianist and composer whose work joins jazz history to contemporary ideas. Alongside The Bandwagon, he has worked with Charles Lloyd and Dave Holland, collaborated with artist Joan Jonas, and made projects honoring Thelonious Monk, Fats Waller, and James Reese Europe. NPR says the trio “deconstruct[s] standards” while assembling Moran’s “mixed-media compositions.” The Whitney calls its sound “fluid and miscalculated,” looking toward both jazz’s past and “its conceptual futures.” All About Jazz has called the group “one of today’s most dynamic,” while The New York Times heard a sound “bigger and more indivisible” than a typical 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.