ConcertPulse
Jason Moran: 125 Years of Duke Ellington
Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal (Hamburg)
Jason Moran is one of the all-time favourite guest performers at the Laeiszhalle and Elbphilharmonie, as he can always be relied upon for surprising music in a wide variety of instrumentations. This New York grand master of improvisation was last heard at the Elbphilharmonie on solo piano. Now he returns with the hr-Bigband (Frankfurt Radio Big Band). The programme marks what would be the 125th birthday of Duke Ellington, one of the most important American musicians and composers to ever live. It’s the stylistic openness that Duke Ellington and Jason Moran have in common. The pianist and swing maestro Ellington not only composed diverse music for dance orchestras. He also worked with avant-gardists like John Coltrane and Charles Mingus, experimenting again and again with whole new kinds of sound. Jason Moran, in turn, sees his entire musical oeuvre as an interdisciplinary work with influences stemming from the visual arts, film, architecture and design. »I try...to let clean lines, contrasts and space impact my music,« the pianist, born in Houston, Texas, in 1975, once said. In the music itself, he reveals – just as Duke Ellington did – how open he is to a wide variety of influences. He combines aspects of the jazz tradition ranging from bebop, avant-garde, stride piano and blues with modern concepts taken from hip-hop culture. All topped off with a helping of old-school swing, thanks to the hr-Bigband.