Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
Flea Finds His Jazz Thing
In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
In support of his recent release, Same Mother, his sixth release on Blue Note, pianist Jason Moran finds himself in a flurry of activity. The record is an exploration of the common roots of jazz and blues, with his longtime trio of bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits, adding for the first time guitarist Marvin Sewell, best known for his rootsy-yet-forward work with Cassandra Wilson. Collectively, the quartet is known as The Bandwagon.
In March, Moran will be in Austin, Texas, where he will have the opportunity to show-off the rock-level intensity of The Bandwagon at the mecca of indie rock festivals, SXSW. On March 16, The Bandwagon will be part of a SXSW showcase line-up that includes The Bad Plus, Tarantula, Amy Correia & Dayna Kurtz. On March 17, The Bandwagon will perform at a Blue Note & Manhattan Records label showcase that also features singer-songwriters Keren Ann & Raul Midon.
Then in May, Moran will take over at the piano bench for special guest appearance as part of the Wayne Shorter Quartet at the Melbourne Jazz Festival in Australia on May 13 and 14.
More Moran tour dates include:
Feb. 24: Washington, D.C.; Kennedy Center Jazz Club
March 19: Chicago; Symphony Orchestra
April 22 and 23: New York, Jazz at Lincoln Center
May 7: Princeton, N.J.; McCarter Theater
May 15: San Francisco; Florence Gould Theater
May 16: Santa Cruz, Calif.; Kuumbwa Jazz Center
May 20-21: Minneapolis; Walker Arts Center
For more details, go to jasonmoran.com.
“Cerebral and academic thought is a different way to approach music,” Flea says of his continuing dive into jazz. “I’ve always relied on emotion and intuition and physicality.”
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