Jason Moran: Bathing the Room with Blues
STAGED: Three Deuces
Located on Level 1
Located on Level 1
Located on Level 1
Jason Moran discusses the inspiration behind STAGED: Three Deuces and the music visitors can hear coming from the Steinway piano in the installation.
Transcript:
Hi, this is Jason Moran. The Three Deuces was a jazz club on the legendary 52nd Street in New York City during the 1940s. The club was in a basement and the band was playing in the corner of this small basement. The songs you hear coming from the piano are not necessarily blues', but they are songs that I feel that do wash the room with sound, songs that make the piano sound as if it's not a piano itself, or songs that sound like the piano is crying or singing. Some are based on folk songs, like the song "You Ain't Got But One Life to Live, You Better Take Your Time," or a song like "He Cares." These songs make up a longer playlist that plays throughout the exhibition, but also giving moments of silence in between each one. And the moments of silence are for real.
Transcripción:
Esta es una traducción al español de las palabras de Jason Moran. El club Three Deuces era un club de jazz en la legendaria calle 52 en Nueva York durante la década de los años cuarenta. El club estaba en un sótano y la banda tocaba en la esquina del pequeño sótano. Las canciones que escuchas en el piano no son necesariamente los blues, pero son canciones que creo que bañan al cuarto con el sonido, canciones que hacen que el sonido del piano parezca que no es un piano, o canciones que hacen que parecer como si el piano llorara o cantara. Algunas están basadas en canciones de folk, como la canción “You Ain't Got But One Life to Live, You Better Take Your Time", o una canción como “He Cares”. Estas canciones conforman una lista larga de canciones a lo largo de la exposición, pero también ofrecen momentos de silencio entre cada una. Y los momentos de silencio son reales.
Once a month for the run of the exhibition, STAGED: Three Deuces is activated with renowned jazz musicians performing on classic instruments in the installation. Jason Moran has invited musicians for a series of performances that highlight the jazz community of this region.
Watch a previous activation you may have missed!