Jason Moran plays 'open jazz' at the Kennedy Ctr

Jason Moran, the Artistic Director for Jazz at the Kennedy Center, led an adventuresome trio through 90 minutes of exploratory improvisations. Jazz is the music of freedom, and Moran steered true to purpose.

At the center of the trio was a synthesizer virtuoso, going by “Blank For.ms,” who perched above a mess of colorful wires with lots of knobs to turn. To the left, Moran played the grand piano and to the right Marcus Gilmore played drums. They played without a score, creating “open” or “free” jazz that was entirely improvised.

I experienced the music as expressive and cinematic, full of shifting moods and atmospheres. At times there was a sci-fi feel, with lots of bleeps, bursts of noise, and other hard-to-describe sounds. At other times, the synthesizer seemed to capture and process the piano sounds, adding layers to Moran’s sound. At drums, Gilmore listened intently and filled in colors and textures–and at times, driving rhythms. Sometimes the music could accompany a space odyssey; other times it was pensive and reflective; sometimes it was wild and weird and “how did he make THAT sound?” At all times, it was clear the trio was working intently together to create a cohesive mood and texture and they blended as one beautifully.

One sign of “free jazz” emerged as they played–about a dozen people left the audience after the first 15 minutes. Clearly this wasn’t what they thought they signed up for.

The third piece had a title that was known to the audience, but I didn’t catch it. It featured a violinist. It reminded me of Maria Schneider’s compositions.

Moran and his group created music that was truly new, emotive and inspirational. The best $20 ticket I’ve bought in a long time.

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