Jason J. Moran

Jazz pianist Jason Moran is a risk taker who has brought innovation to every aspect of his art: improvisation, composition, group concept, repertoire, technique, and experimentation. Moran and his group The Bandwagon, featuring bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits, have earned a reputation as the future of jazz.

Moran has released more than a dozen albums since 1999, including Soundtrack to Human Motion, Black Stars, and The Sound Will Tell You. Moran has performed and recorded with an array of artists, including Marian McPartland, Wayne Shorter, and Cassandra Wilson. His spirit of collaboration has extended to works with visual artists, choreographers, and performance artists. Moran's talents include composing soundtracks, which he has done for 10 movies, including Aggie, the documentary Traveling While Black, the documentary 13th, Selma, and RFK in the Land of Apartheid: A Ripple of Hope.

Music education plays an important role in Moran’s life. He has taught at Yale University, Dartmouth University, University of Pennsylvania, Eastman School of Music, The Kennedy Center, The New School, New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Banff Center for The Arts, Denmark's Vallekilde Jazz Camp, Skidmore, and Stanford Jazz Workshop.