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Article: Jazz fans hop on the Jason Moran bandwagon.(Entertainment)(Raised on classics and rap, the pianist idolizes Thelonious Monk)
- Article from:
- The Register Guard (Eugene, OR)
- Article date:
- September 12, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Register Guard. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Fred Crafts The Register-Guard
A young jazz pianist might be expected to mine ideas from legendary artists such as Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans or Duke Ellington. But not so with rising star Jason Moran.
Moran was born in 1975, and his formative years came in the 1980s, when jazz was experiencing a period of new traditionalism while losing its mass appeal. So, he found inspiration elsewhere.
"Rap music was what we enjoyed listening to as kids," Moran said by phone from his home in New York City. `That was the concerts we were going to. The days when they had groups traveling the country like Public Enemy, Run DMC, LL Cool J, DJ Jazzy Jeff ...