Moran, Jason / Bandwagon, the
Album: Bandwagon, the   Collection:Jazz
Artist:Moran, Jason   Added:Oct 2003
Label:Blue Note  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2003-10-13 Pull Date: 2003-12-15 Charts: Jazz
Week Ending: Dec 14 Nov 30 Nov 23 Oct 26 Oct 19
Airplays: 1 1 1 2 1

Recent Airplay
1. Dec 12, 2003: Memory Select
Another One
4. Oct 24, 2003: Memory Select
Ringing My Phone
2. Nov 24, 2003: Dollar Bin
Planet Rock
5. Oct 20, 2003: Dollar Bin San Diego Record Show Report
Planet Rock
3. Nov 21, 2003: Memory Select
Infospace
6. Oct 17, 2003: Memory Select
Infospace, Another One

Album Review
Craig Matsumoto
Reviewed 2003-11-21
Live recordings from Moran's piano trio. Treads the same ground as mainstream dinner jazz but with plenty of interesting twists, such as peppery, abstract flurries (2,5). Moran also displays his hip-hop influences, accentuated by some kind of "acoustic electric" bass with a fluid sound.

Moran's playing is flush with energy and new creativity, even when he's playing "normally," but for this album he's added a gimmick. Three of the tracks (4,6,9) have melodies based on patterns of speech -- that is, a sampled voice gets played, and Moran plays piano exactly in time with the spoken words. Clever idea, and impressive considering he does this *live* without losing lock-step synchronizing (obviously it was rehearsed beforehand, but it's still impressive.)

2- Fast, disjoint and crystalline
3- Slow, based on Brahms
4- Weirdly skipping line. Moran taped someone speaking Turkish and wrote music that overlaps the vocal inflections -- neat experiment.
5- Abstract intro into fast, sneaky, low-key swing
6- Gentle, sentimental piano w/Moran's parents' voices overdubbed
7- Fast and stormy
8- Slow, peaceful
9- Like #4, piano patterned after some Asian language
10- A cover of "Planet Rock," a mid/fast snap

Track Listing
1. Intro (Abr.)   6. Gentle Shifts South
2. Another One   7. Gangsterism on Stages
3. Intermezzo, Op. 118 No. 2   8. Body and Soul
4. Ringing My Phone   9. Infospace
5. Out Front   10. Planet Rock