Musical Building Blocks

The first thing that comes to mind when you think of the jazz piano are probably smoky late night bars and cool cats in fedoras.

But would you think of quilting?

Jason Moran does. Along with critical acclaim for his technique, this jazz innovator is gaining recognition for his more avant garde compositional sensibilities, taking inspiration from unlikely sources, including modern art and ballet.

Moran was recently commissioned to write a suite for ‘The Architecture of the Quilt‘ at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, an exhibition celebrating the quilters of Gee’s Bend, Alabama.

Last week, Moran visited Studio 360 and played one of his songs for the exhibition, ‘Blue Blocks.’ He explained to Kurt how he composed the tune by re-imagining the striking colors, patterns, and shapes in the quilts.

Quilters of Gee’s Bend, Alabama

We’ll broadcast more of Kurt’s conversation with Jason Moran soon.

– Britta Conroy-Randall