Jason Jason Moran (left), Alicia Hall Moran (center), The Bandwagon and Bill Frisell (right) perform at the KC Jazz Club

As another Black History Month winds down, we want to, first of all, remind you that we celebrate jazz history and culture consistently on the Jazz Spot! We're excited to share a wonderful special with you tonight at 8 PM:

Jason Moran's Live: Time On The Quilts Of Gee's Bend' Suite on JazzSet

The Philadelphia Museum of Art recently commissioned Jason Moran to write music in conjunction with its exhibition of quilts made by a remarkable group of African-American women in a small rural community on a bend in the Alabama River.

The quilting tradition there dates back to pre-Civil War days, when slaves began sewing together strips of whatever fabric they could find to make bed covers and keep their families warm. It's a unique style with bold geometric designs and colors, handed down from one generation to the next, from the hard years of tenant farming after the Civil War to the Civil Rights era. The isolation of the community made the quilt designs unique, and in time the artistic merits of the quilts from Gee's Bend received international recognition.

In September 2002, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston hosted a special exhibition featuring quilts by Annie Mae Young, Loretta Pettway, Mary Lee Bendolph and others. The quilts proved so popular that they toured museums around the country. The U.S. Postal Service even issued commemorative postage stamps. New York magazine art critic Mark Stevens wrote, "The strikingly beautiful quilts just might deserve a place among the great works of 20th-century abstract art."

After receiving his commission, Moran, his wife Alicia Hall Moran and family members toured the quilters' homes and workshops, heard their stories and bought their own quilts. Here at the KC Jazz Club, Moran drapes his over a music stand, and members of The Bandwagon "play the quilt," improvising on the patterns. Bill Frisell sets aside his guitar to read his letter to Moran about Frisell's own visit to Gee's Bend — how he took the ferry but went too far and almost missed the warm welcome.

Alicia Moran's voice is the thread running through Live: Time, as she sings the quilters' songs, first recorded in the field in 1941 and compiled on How We Got Over: Sacred Songs of Gee's Bend. She tells the story of a fictional couple — Sidney and her man Clovis, shot by a gun. Rust-colored blood stains the geometric shapes of their bedspread, and love flows, too, but there's more to the story.

The short story "Cold Water for Blood Stains" is by Asali Solomon and featured in the Winter 2013 issue of The Kenyon Review.

Set List
"Let Me In / Restin'"
"Blue Blocks / Lazy Gal"
"Here Am I / Dear Lord"
"Crazy"
"This World Is A Mean World"
"Quilting / Playing The Quilt"
"You Ain't Got But One Life To Live / Live: Time"

Personnel
Jason Moran, composer and piano
Alicia Hall Moran, vocals
Bill Frisell, guitar
Tarus Mateen, bass
Nasheet Waits, drums

After you enjoy this wonderful special, be sure to tune in to The Jazz Spot at 9 PM! We'll wrap up the month with celebrations of Nina Simone, Michel Legrand, Nancy Wilson and Tadd Dameron! Plus, we'll put the spotlight on Georgia Musicians who have contributed to this art form we love, JAZZ!

If you have questions, you can e-mail me at jazz@gpb.org or follow me on twitter @masanijazz or join the fun on The Jazz Spot on GPB Radio on Facebook.

Please remain inspired by jazz music and culture, everyday!
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