When polymathic pianist Moran approaches a subject, he dives deep. Previous projects interpreted the work of piano greats Thelonious Monk and Fats Waller, the latter with lively performances billed as dance parties that connected Waller’s stride style to modern funk and fusion sounds. Featuring bandmates bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits, his latest exploration delves into the work of bandleader and WWI lieutenant James Reese Europe (1880–1919), a black music innovator whose life was cut short when he was stabbed in the neck by his drummer. At this annual Thanksgiving-week stand at one of jazz’s most revered temples, the Vanguard, expect Europe’s ragtime and early-jazz compositions to inform the trio’s engaging, historically minded modernism.
Jason Moran discusses the legacy and lore of the Village Vanguard