Jason Moran Awarded 2010 MacArthur Fellowship

JASON MORAN AWARDED 2010 MACARTHUR FELLOWSHIP

NPR/WBGO “LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD” WEBCAST SET FOR OCT. 6;

MORAN RELEASES JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR CONTENDER WITH “TEN”

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation have named Jason Moran one of their MacArthur Fellows for 2010. The acclaimed jazz pianist and composer was awarded the prestigious fellowship today along with 22 other new Fellows who work across a broad spectrum of endeavors, including a stone carver, a quantum astrophysicist, a high school physics teacher, a marine biologist, a theater director, an American historian, a fiction writer, an economist, and a computer security scientist. All were selected for their creativity, originality, and potential to make important contributions in the future. For more information please visit www.macfound.org.

JazzTimes magazine recently declared Moran “jazz’s greatest young conceptualist,” adding that he “pierces the bubble around jazz by reconnecting it not only to popular culture but also to the sounds of daily life.” The proof can be found on Ten, Moran’s eighth Blue Note recording, which was released in June to universal acclaim. The album—which celebrates the 10 year anniversary of The Bandwagon, Moran’s trio featuring bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits—is the most assured and focused recording of his career, capturing the fierce creativity and striking originality that caught the attention of the MacArthur Foundation. On Ten, Moran pays tribute to his stylistic heirs—Thelonious Monk, Andrew Hill, and Jaki Byard—as well as rock legend Jimi Hendrix and renegade classical composer Conlon Nancarrow. He draws inspiration from his collaborations in dance, film, and the visual arts, and re-imagines a century-old minstrel hit song by Bert Williams.

Moran and The Bandwagon will be performing at the Village Vanguard in New York City from October 5-10. NPR Music and WBGO will be live webcasting their 9:00pm ET set on Wednesday, October 6 as part of their monthly series Live At The Village Vanguard. In late October Moran will embark on an extensive 6-week European tour that includes dates with The Bandwagon, as well as the Charles Lloyd New Quartet, on whose new album Mirror (ECM) he also appears.

Blue Note