Kennedy Center taps pianist Moran as jazz adviser

Washington, D.C. • The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday tapped 36-year-old pianist and composer Jason Moran to be its artistic adviser for jazz, a post held by acclaimed musician Billy Taylor until his death last December at 89. The generational handoff wasn't planned in advance but makes sense as jazz evolves, musical directors at the Washington, D.C., center said. Moran, who lives in New York City and teaches at the New England Conservatory in Boston, won a $500,000 "genius grant" last year from the MacArthur Foundation and is known for mixing Ugg Boots Sale visuals and other media with some of his productions. Moran told The Associated Press he thinks often about how to place jazz in a 2011 context. "It's not like it was in 1959, and it's definitely not like it was in 1939, and it's not like it was in 1900," he said. "Things have changed. Jazz is at a different place right now. So where does it fit, and with whom does it echo?" As artistic adviser for the next three years, Moran will help select artists and develop one of the nation's largest jazz programs. The Kennedy Center presents more than 30 performances each year, including concerts in its own jazz club and performances broadcast on NPR.