Search - Jason Moran :: Artist in Residence

Staggeringly, mind-bogglingly brilliant

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 09/23/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A few random observations, because I'm so blown away by this disc that I'm not sure I can write anything coherent.



First, this has absolutely no business working, it's so all over the place, what with its amalgam of solo piano pieces, group offerings, a classical track, a Western number, opera singing (!), spoken word, pen scratchings, and other weirdness. I'm actually glad I didn't see the listing of performers on the tracks before I bought it; If I had, I might not've sprung for it. Moreover, the music is taken from three different periods and places where pianist Jason Moran was in residence, so if it sounds eclectic, you got it. How to make it all hang together--that's the challenge.



And it's certainly to Moran's credit that he does, with nary a slip. I'm coming to think he's the greatest jazz pianist alive from the standpoint of conceptual brilliance. Maybe not the greatest player (that's Frank Kimbrough, in my thinking), but his concept's consistently killer.



I have to admit that initially I was slightly disappointed because the music seemed radically disparate. But after several listens, it all began to hang together, so much so that it seemed possessed of almost a mystical coinherence.



A word about his group, bandwagon (Moran, piano; Tarus Mateen, bass; Nasheet Waits, drums; and Marvin Sewell, guitar). They're certainly one of the most versatile, cohesive jazz units operating today. I'm bowled over, especially, by Marvin Sewell, a stinkin' jazz/blues guitar genius, who struts his stuff to great effect whenever the group is featured (on about half the total time), all the more to his credit since he was taken to task by critics and know-nothing listeners for his work on Moran's previous disc, Same Mother.



I'm not sure everyone will be able to get on board with what's going on here, but I encourage you to give it a try. At the very least it'll expand your horizons.



And it could end up reconfiguring your listening esthetic."

Tremendous masterwork

Larry Sakin | Tucson, AZ | 09/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Breakdown misunderstanding, breakdown the artist", a looped refrain from African American philosopher/artist Adrian Piper, is the opening to jazz pianist Jason Moran's new album Artist in Residence. Piper's metaphor is a theme throughout Moran's seventh work for Blue Note Records.



As with previous works, Moran and his brilliant back up group Bandwagon" breaks down the history of jazz music, having created the experimental hybrid blues on "Same Mother" and an amazing improvisational effort with flutist Sam Rivers "Black Stars". On each of those records, Moran showed a flair for highly complex rhythms which weaved new frontiers for the genre's they explored. Artist in Residence is a more subdued effort; with Moran's minimalist approach sounding similar to Steven Reich in some places and at other times approaching the mad genius of Thelonious Monk in the free jazz composition "RAIN".



Each of the tracks on Artist in Residence was commissioned by art and theatre centers across the country. The result is a record of Moran's artistic exchanges and encounters with the Art World, and a deeper look into the concepts of Piper. The first track, "Break Down", is a straight ahead composition with Piper's sampled vocals layered over the instrumental tracks almost giving the piece a hip-hop feel. "Milestones" combines an operatic vocal performed by Moran's wife Alicia Hall meshes with a gently melodic ensemble piece that features the bass work of Tarus Mateen and Marvin Sewell's guitar. "Milestones" is reminiscent of the European jazz found on most ECM releases, with Mateen's bass a tribute to the work of Charlie Haden and Sewell's harmonics similar to the earlier material of Pat Metheny. This style is continued in Refraction 2, which captures the spirit of Metheny and long time collaborator Lyle Mays on As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls. "Cradle Song" a solo piece, is a tribute to Moran's mother, who scribbled notes while Moran practiced piano as a child. Moran includes an inspired overlay of a person scratching out notes determinedly with a pencil. For me, the standout piece is "RAIN", which has its origins in the ring shouts from the era of slavery. It starts slowly, with Ralph Alessi's trumpet, Sewell's guitar and Abdou M'boup on percussion, and gradually builds; adding Moran's brilliant noodling until the song almost explodes in a cacophony of joy. It is one of many trapdoors constructed into the piece, which traverses a number of bridges that lead into lush musical waves of pure African, straight ahead and avant-garde jazz.



In essence, Artist in Residence is an album of revered musical elements stretched and reconfigured by Moran and Bandwagon, expanding the territories claimed by jazz. Moran breaks down both misunderstanding of the jazz form and himself the artist, presenting an album full of deep insight and appreciation for jazz, and art that inspires us all.



"

Scattered to the max

David Weitz | Connelly, NY United States | 11/21/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I purchased this at a used cd store, and listened to it last night. I suspect it will be going back. I know Jason Moran is a great pianist, but I'm starting to wonder about these projects where he's really all over the map. Maybe I just don't get it, but as a jazz drummer, I like to think that I'm minimally hip to stuff. The group Bandwagon, plays on maybe one third of the cd; wish they played more; kudos to the drummer. Martin Sewell, the guitarist, did a lot more with Cassandra Wilson. Sorry, I'm not going on with endless essays about genius this, genius that, blah, blah, blah. ECM references; forget it (check out Tomasz Stanko new recording, Lontano). Guess I just didn't like it."