Jason Moran plays Duke Ellington (50. Leipziger Jazztage)

Back to the Future: The “most provocative thinker in contemporary jazz” is coming to Leipzig!

He blends tradition with radical imagination—and is celebrated worldwide for it. No wonder, then, that the media and audiences are, for once, in agreement: American composer and conceptual artist Jason Moran is among the most significant and original jazz musicians of our time. 

“I’m not a pioneer,” he once said of himself, not without his characteristic modesty. Rather, the pianist continued, he “infuses old things with new ideas.” For many years, he has drawn the necessary inspiration from the greats of jazz history—such as Thelonious Monk, whose album “’Round Midnight” he discovered in his father’s record collection at the age of 13, or Duke Ellington. 

Moran can now confidently be mentioned in the same breath as his role models. The jury at Amherst College in Massachusetts described him as a “guardian of jazz’s cultural heritage” in 2024 when they awarded him the degree of “Doctor of Arts.” ForRolling Stone, however, heissimply the “most provocative thinker in contemporary jazz.” 

Much like the “Duke,” Moran moves between large ensembles and solo work. Two years ago, for example, he presented an Ellington program with the hr Big Band, which he now follows up with his new solo album, characterized by a pared-down sound. 

Moran’s interpretations are far more than a tribute to a personal hero. Rather, he transforms the historical material into something of his own—often surprising. And he does so in the midst of St. Thomas Church—that historic venue where Johann Sebastian Bach once shaped Leipzig’s reputation as a city of music. 

In doing so, Moran achieves a feat that is rarely accomplished: he frees the musical legacy from the dust of the museum. What remains is a moving piece of music—radically personal, intensely focused, and always one step ahead of the present. 

Jason Moran (p)