On this recording made in 1960 during his tenure with Lou Donaldson, pianist Horace Parlan is situated nicely alongside bassist George Tucker and drummer Al Harewood. The trio had its own gig on Sundays at Minton’s in Harlem, and had established a repertoire and reputation for being able to…

Again working with his longtime rhythm section of George Tucker (bass) and Al Harewood (drums), Horace Parlan manages to On the Spur of the Moment make distinctive by emphasizing the rhythmic side of his hard bop. Tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine and trumpeter Tommy Turrentine help give the quintet a…

It’s no easy task following up a brilliant debut like Soundtrack to Human Motion, but pianist Jason Moran does admirably well with this effort. Unlike the previous record, which featured Greg Osby’s alto and Stefon Harris’s vibes, Facing Left finds Moran in a trio setting, backed by bassist Tarus…

Jazz pianist/composer Jason Moran’s debut, Soundtrack to Human Motion, approaches his music with an abstract, impressionistic outlook. Inspired by artists as diverse as painter Jean-Michel Basquiat and composer Maurice Ravel on tracks like “JAMO Meets SAMO” and “Le Tombeau de Couperin/States of Art” and “Gangsterism on Canvas,” Moran applies…

Jason Moran‘s 2010 effort Ten features more of the jazz pianist’s smart and forward-thinking jazz. Backed by bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits, Moran reveals himself once again to be a nimble improviser with an ear toward atmospheric and often fractured hypnotic post-bop jazz on tracks like the lilting “Blue Blocks” (commissioned by the Philadelphia…

The adventurous pianist, composer, and bandleader Jason Moran added guitarist Marvin Sewell to his band on 2005’s Same Mother. Sewell is back and melding further with his own funky blues-based playing on Artist in Residence, which is a far-reaching jazz record combining elements of post-bop, New Orleans jazz, funk,…

Boundary-pushing pianist Jason Moran expands his sound yet again with a blend of modern electric and acoustic blues on Same Mother. Featuring longtime bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits, Moran’s seventh album also includes guitarist Marvin Sewell. An equally adventurous musician, Sewell adds a modern blues sound to…

You cannot help but look forward to each new release from Jason Moran, whose fertile imagination toys with established ways just enough to raise some eyebrows. He is more than an eyebrow-raiser, of course, and his prodigious technique coupled with a tendency to gently push the borders leads to…

Jason Moran’s fourth Blue Note album, a highly idiosyncratic solo piano venture, attempts to reconcile a staggeringly diverse set of influences into a cohesive artistic vision. Beginning with stride master James P. Johnson’s “You’ve Got to Be Modernistic,” the omnivorous young pianist then takes that title to heart by…

This is pianist Jason Moran’s third recording as a leader for Blue Note, and it is arguably his best. Only 26 when he recorded it, the pianist had the maturity to invite saxophone giant Sam Rivers (77 years old at the time!) to join Moran’s trio, and it is…