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Jason Moran / Larry Grenadier / Richard Davis
/ Jeff Ballard
Online: “Moran’s music swells and swarms unpredictably, skittering here, accelerating there, embroidering a composition by Brahms or Prokofiev, easing into a head-nodding rhythmic groove, or meditating on a pop standard such as “Moon River” or a riff borrowed from Bronx hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa.” – Smithsonian Magazine An avant-garde masterpiece from the 1960’s will get a fresh treatment from some of today’s most adventurous jazz mavericks when Jason Moran presents his re-interpretation of Andrew Hill’s seminal album Smokestack. Moran is an exciting pianist who carries on the legacy of innovators like Jaki Byard, Hill, and Muhal Richard Abrams. The Houston, Texas native has earned a reputation as a fearless experimenter who brings together disparate influences with dazzling, unpredictable results. He has worked with visionaries like Lee Konitz, Greg Osby, Steve Coleman, and Von Freeman. For his Stanford performance, Moran will lead a band featuring drummer Jeff Ballard and bassists Larry Grenadier and Richard Davis through a re-examination of the music from Andrew Hill’s 1963 album Smokestack. Hill’s mysterious, abstract compositions define their own unique territory between post-bop and free jazz, combining contemporary harmonies with a rich palette of unconventional sounds and techniques. Richard Davis, whose performance on the original Smokestack re-imagined the role of the bass 45 years ago, will provide the bridge from the past to the future. Web Sites Music Links Q&A with Jason Moran and Richard Davis What is the first recording
you remember hearing as a child? Who
is your favorite jazz musician under the age of 30? What job would you have if you weren’t
a jazz musician? What’s the strangest experience you’ve
ever had on the bandstand? What’s your favorite food? What’s the most exotic place you’ve
traveled to as a musician? What’s the last book you’ve
read? If you could play with any other musician, living or dead (with whom
you have not played), who would it be and why? What’s your favorite tune? What’s your favorite thing
about being a Stanford Jazz Workshop faculty member? What’s your favorite jazz venue? Who is your greatest musical influence? If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have three
recordings with you, what would they be? How much do you practice each week? What hobbies do you have? If you could be any other type of artist other than a jazz musician,
what would you be and why? When did you become interested in music, and what circumstances
or events led to your becoming a professional musician? If you were to describe your music as a color, what color would it
be and why? |
