Jason Moran to Unveil Multimedia Project Dedicated to Thelonious Monk

After releasing seven albums on Blue Note, pianist and composer Jason Moran has earned his reputation as “the most provocative thinker in current jazz,” according to Rolling Stone. But Moran will push the boundaries of music further this fall with “In My Mind: Monk at Town Hall, 1959,” a multi-media project dedicated to the legendary Thelonious Monk.

The idea for “In My Mind” was initiated last year, when SF Jazz approached Moran about recreating Monk’s 1959 Town Hall concert. As a result, the multi-media project-which incorporates a live performance by an eight-piece ensemble, video projections and samples of Monk rehearsing with his band for that infamous Town Hall performance-is a full-length piece based on the 1959 concert, W. Eugene Smith’s documentary work on Monk and Moran’s own visit this year to Monk’s home in North Carolina.

The project, which will debut at Duke University on Oct. 27, will also be performed in Washington on Oct. 28, San Francisco on Nov. 2 and Chicago on Nov. 16. On Oct. 10, Moran will also participate in Monk at 90, a conversation with jazz critic Gary Giddins about Monk’s music and legacy at CUNY in New York City; Moran will also perform.

For more information about Moran’s CUNY performance, visit CUNY Humanities.

Originally Published October 5, 2007