Search - Jason Moran :: Black Stars

Startling encounter

N. Dorward | Toronto, ON Canada | 11/28/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Moran's first disc, _Soundtrack for Human Motion_, showcased a remarkable new talent, though not perhaps ideally--he had to contend with two strong lead voices (Greg Osby & Stefon Harris) & had a straightforward rhythm section that slightly squared off his more unusual rhythmic & harmonic devices. This new disc (his 3rd) matches Moran with a truly great musician, Sam Rivers, who's about 50 years Moran's senior. The rhythm section is Tarus Mateen & Nasheet Waits, & it instantly solves the problems of the previous disc's rhythm section--this is a remarkably dense & tumultuous piano-trio performance, & Moran has found his ideal interpreters. Moran's playing takes much inspiration from spiky, troublous pianists like Andrew Hill & Jaki Byard, & crosses it with contemporary funk to create a very individual groove. This disc contains some of his excellent composing, plus a Rivers tune ("Earth Song"), an Ellington ("Kinda Dukish"--it eventually turns into a vamp on the death-march finale of "Black & Tan Fantasy") & a reading of a Byard tune ("Out Front", though I've heard it under various titles as Byard tended to constantly return to his compositions over the years using different titles-of-the-moment). There's also a stunning revisiting of Monk's "Skippy", entitled "Skitter In"--the tune's stepwise shifting harmonies & lack of any harmonic resolution are ideally suited to Moran's approach to the keyboard. Rivers plays characteristically well, though he's not the force of yore, & he seems at some remove from the boiling piano-trio (indeed there are a couple moments where he seems to be momentarily uncertain as to where the music is heading or the order of solos). Nonetheless, this is a smoking disc which is a great pleasure to hear, & Moran & Rivers seem to hit it off very well in the studio."

Black Stars

R. G. Thomas | Chicago, Il United States | 11/21/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Among the current crop of jazzmen at the new Blue Note, Jason Moran just might be the most ambitious. At a time when it seems that much of the current crop of new releases will have limited shelf lives at best, Moran's music strikes a more profound chord. At present, a shining star in Greg Osby's current ensemble, Moran has released his own highly rewarding series of dates for Blue Note, with Black Stars arguably being his most audacious set to date. There are certain guideposts that will be unmistakable to the trained ear, although this in no way should suggest that Moran is simply aping past styles. Andrew Hill and Jaki Byard are acknowledged influences, a point made further evident by the inclusion of a solo rendition of Byard's "Out Front" and by having Sam Rivers in the role of lead horn. The wood flute on "Summit" might also suggest the kind of pan-ethnic experiments that Yusef Lateef led for Impulse back in the '60s. The Hill connection comes via Moran's use of dark harmonies and edgy melodies as heard in "Gangsterism on a River" and a fluid sense of time made so apparent on "Draw the Light Out." In addition to Moran's strong writing, major kudos to his standby rhythm section of bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits. Joe Marciano's sound production is equally sturdy and luminescent. All in all, this sleeper may just turn out to be one of the strongest Blue Note releases to make the scene in quite some time."

Fabulous!

paul olson | chicago | 01/23/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A very good record from Jason Moran. He and his group sound terrific, and wily veteran Sam Rivers is above reproach. Every song is interesting and the album can be enjoyed over and over again. Sort of reminiscent of old Blue Note albums like Eric Dolphy's Out to lunch in that the music is exotic and accessible at the same time."