A 21st Century Thelonious Monk In Boston

Jason Moran has been called the "most provocative thinker in current jazz" by Rolling Stone magazine. New York Times music critic Ben Ratliff called Moran's debut album, "Soundtrack to Human Motion," the jazz album of the year.

This fall, Jason Moran joins the jazz faculty at Boston's New England Conservatory.

Moran, a pianist, is known for ignoring the two-sided debate that jazz is left or right, avant-garde or traditional, mixing his original compositions with hip hop, blues and spoken word.

Moran spends much of his time playing with his trio The Bandwagon, completed by fellow musicians Nasheet Waits on drums and bassist Tarus Matten.  In June, Moran released his seventh album, "Ten," commemorating 10 years with Bandwagon.