Jazz Pianist Jason Moran Makes UGA Presents Debut with Ellington Program

Released by the University of Georgia Performing Arts Center:

He always delivers drama, satisfying tension and release, and postmodern inventiveness.”—The New Yorker

Pianist and composer Jason Moran — Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz and MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" winner — is among the foremost jazz musicians working today. He makes his UGA Presents debut Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at Hodgson Hall. He will be joined by the UGA Jazz Ensemble I in a program titled Duke Ellington: My Heart Sings.

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (1899-1974) was a titanic force in American music, unparalleled as a pianist, songwriter and bandleader. "This program will give the students the opportunity to dig deep into the music of Duke Ellington from an earlier time period in his career with a premier musician in Jason," says David D'Angelo, senior lecturer of jazz at UGA's Hugh Hodgson School of Music. "This is an experience that will have a lasting positive effect on the students."

JASON MORAN

Pianist and composer Jason Moran has established himself as a risk-taker and trendsetter for new directions in jazz. Rolling Stone calls him “the most provocative thinker in current jazz.” It’s that incomparable talent and unyielding drive toward innovation that earned Moran a prestigious MacArthur “genius grant” fellowship and the title of Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz. Since 2000, Moran and his trio The Bandwagon (Tarus Mateen and Nasheet Waits) have dazzled audiences at elite venues worldwide.

Moran has also performed with many acclaimed artists such as Charles Lloyd and Dave Holland, he composed a ballet for Alzonzo King LINES Ballet, conceived a jazz and skateboarding collaboration, wrote the film score for Selma, and paid homage to two legendary pianists in his Blue Note album All Rise: A Joyful Elegy for Fats Waller, and his multimedia program In My Mind: Monk at Town Hall 1959.

A prolific composer, Moran released two albums in 2018 — Looks of a Lot, which was commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Center, and Music for Joan Jonas, a collaboration with performance artist Joan Jonas containing excerpts from three of their major collaborations. The Los Angeles Times hails Moran as “a startlingly gifted pianist with a relentless thirst for experimentation.”

PERFORMANCE TALK

Join us for a free pre-performance talk by James Weidman in Ramsey Concert Hall from 6:45-7:15 pm.

BUYING TICKETS IS EASY

Securing tickets for UGA Presents performances couldn’t be easier. There are three ways to choose from:

1. Purchase tickets online 24/7 at pac.uga.edu.

2. Call the Performing Arts Center Box Office at (706) 542-4400, Mon.-Fri., 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

3. Visit the UGA Performing Arts Center Box Office, Mon.-Fri., 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (5 minute parking is available in the drop off circle at the Performing Arts Center for purchasing or picking up tickets.)

You may also create your own series of three or more performances (10% off). UGA Presents single tickets start at just $25 with promo code PAC25 and UGA student tickets are $10.