The first time I heard Jason Moran play jazz piano, it felt like I was listening to the soundtrack of my life. Maybe I should quality that: It sounded like the soundtrack of my creative life. When Same Mother was first released, I played it in my studio every day for months. It never grew tiresome. In fact it did quite the opposite. His music kept me energized through a very demanding period when I was getting work ready for a big show of my paintings in San Francisco. That entire series of work is infused with a Moranian impulse.
The first time I heard him play live, I spoke to him after the set and told him how much his music had influenced my artistic output. Turns out Jason is very interested in visual art, and he is particularly compelled by how visual art and music come together. His follow up recording, Artist in Residence, is a collaboration with several installation artists such as Adrian Piper and Joan Jonas.
I can’t predict what sounds could amp up your creative juices. But I can encourage you to give Jason a listen. His music, like the man himself, is intelligent, explorative, inclusive and executed with such finesse.
[…] Jason Moran […]