Jason Moran, an acclaimed pianist and composer, is this year’s artist-in-residence for the 2025 Detroit Jazz Festival. Moran will bring a rich lineup to the festival: performances with The Bandwagon, a big band tribute to Duke Ellington featuring Detroit musicians, and a unique techno-jazz-poetry fusion with Jeff Mills and poet jessica Care moore.

He will also lead workshops emphasizing active listening, restraint, and responsiveness — values rooted in his philosophy of jazz as a communal practice. 

“You can distinguish a Detroit musician by the way they sound. You hear it in the way they talk. You hear it in the way they play. There’s a certain bounce to it,” Moran said of Detroit’s musical style. 

Raised in Houston, Texas, Moran began classical piano at six and found his passion in jazz. Today, he’s a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, an educator at the New England Conservatory, and the artistic director for jazz at The Kennedy Center. 

One Detroit contributor John Penney of 90.9 WRCJ sat down with Moran at Wayne State University to talk about what Detroit and its unique music style mean to him. Moran reflects on the city’s jazz legacy, the rhythm that defines its sound, and how it continues to inspire his work. Contributor Zena Issa of Michigan Public produced the segment.