<\/p>\n
\n\tJason Moran plans to blend genres in one of his performances as the Detroit Jazz Festival\u2019s artist-in-residence this year.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI\u2019m thinking that I have to figure out a way to represent for Detroit\u2019s techno music,\u201d the pianist, bandleader, composer and educator tells Billboard<\/em>. Moran was named to the prestigious position on Thursday (March 13) following drummer Brian Blade in 2024.<\/p>\n \n\tTechno, Moran adds, \u201chas long been a thing I\u2019ve listened to and practiced with sometimes at home. So why not, when you\u2019re in Detroit, really represent it? Maybe myself and another artist can churn away for an hour. It\u2019s the idea of, in an industrial city, drum machine meeting piano \u2014 which I think is one of the great machines \u2014 and what happens when those two meet in their simplest forms? With volume,\u201d he adds with a laugh.<\/p>\n \n\tMoran says the piece would be an entirely new composition to be premiered at the Labor Day weekend event (Aug. 29-Sept. 1) and then turned into a traveling piece.<\/p>\n \n\tNow in its 46th year, the DJF \u2014 held mostly outdoors in the city\u2019s downtown \u2014 is the world\u2019s largest free-admission jazz festival. Last year\u2019s edition drew more than 300,000 in-person attendees, according to organizers, and a worldwide audience of more than two million via the festival\u2019s free livestream on its website and social media platforms.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI think that what makes this (festival) unique is the importance of Detroit as a historic music city for the world,\u201d says Moran, who\u2019s performed at the festival several times, as recently as 2023. \u201cThat\u2019s what makes it exciting for me, to be presenting sets of music in a city that\u2019s responsible for a lot of change and possibilities in music.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tIn addition to the techno-jazz mashup, Moran \u2014 who\u2019s been on the faculty at the New England Conservatory of Music since 2010 \u2014 is planning a celebration of Duke Ellington\u2019s 125th birthday, using a big band of younger musicians. \u201cThat\u2019s a big one for me,\u201d he says, \u201cjust because I get to meet who\u2019s on the ground and get that experience to work with them and push the music the way Ellington did.\u201d He\u2019s also planning a set by the Bandwagon, a trio he co-founded during 2000, along with special guests.<\/p>\n \n\tThe Houston-born Moran studied at the Manhattan School of Music and began his recording career as part of saxophonist Greg Osby\u2019s band. He released his first solo album, Soundtrack to Human Motion<\/em>, in 1999 and has released 17 more since. Moran has also scored soundtracks for films such as Selma, Traveling While Black<\/em> and Aggie<\/em>, and he\u2019s recorded with Cassandra Wilson, Christian McBride, Ron Miles and others. He was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Scientists in 2022, and in 2023 he received the German Jazz Prize for pianist of the year.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cJason Moran is a trailblazer in the use of diverse multimedia and theatrical installations to present jazz to audiences in a way that has never been done before,\u201d festival artistic director and CEO Chris Collins said in a statement. \u201cWe look forward to his singular craftsmanship and his creative and evolutionary artistry to lead this year\u2019s festival.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe lineup for the 2025 DJF is expected to be announced April 15 during a special preview event in Detroit, where Moran will perform.<\/p>\n \n\tThe festival has also put out a call for new works that \u201cbring new perspectives to blending jazz and other musical styles\u201d with an application deadline of April 11. Artist performance submissions are also open, with a deadline of June 1. Applications, as well as festival updates, can be found via detroitjazzfest.org.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n