JAZZ PIANIST JASON MORAN PERFORMS A SPELLBINDING SOLO CONCERT AT THE GRETCHEN C. VALADE JAZZ CENTER

 

Pianist Jason Moran

If you attended the Detroit Jazz Festival press conference on Tuesday evening at the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center, stayed for Jason Moran's short concert, and two hours later left still doubting he is the most exciting jazz pianist of his generation, which includes Benny Green, Cyrus Chestnut, and Charles Craig, I would have to respectfully question your taste and sanity. Moran was there as the DJF’s 2025 Artist-in-Residence. Before Chris Collins, the festival’s president, announced the performers, Moran shared his thoughts on Detroit's rich music history, his love for the festival, and his mixed feelings of honor and fear about being the Artist-in-Residence. He then gave a spellbinding solo concert. I have been attending this jazz festival’s annual press conference for twenty years. Usually, the Artist-in-Residence plays three songs. He played six solo songs, starting with a medley of Duke Ellington tunes, followed by “Melancholia,” Geri Allen’s “Feed the Fire,” mixed with Moran’s “Retrograde.” His original “Barbershop” earned the first of three ovations. He played brilliantly, fiddling with the piano strings with one hand while the other raced across the keys like a child running after an ice cream truck. He made the piano echo the sounds of a bustling Manhattan street. This short concert was just a taste of what he will bring to the festival, starting with a must-see duet with techno music founder Jeff Mills and Detroit’s Poet Laureate Jessica Care Moore, a tribute to Duke Ellington, and a set with his long-time group Bandwagon featuring Meshell Ndegecello. The press conference was a showcase of his vast skills. Every Moran live concert or recording presents music that captivates, whether he is blending jazz with hip-hop, playing behind the backdrop of two women in a casual conversation, or someone scribbling on a notepad. His gift is convincing you that every sound can be music, setting him apart from other pianists. What is truly special about the jazz festival’s Artist-in-Residence position is the outreach programs at high schools and colleges. These programs allow music students to gain experience from a worldly musician like Moran.