Jason Moran: Jason Moran, pianist and composer.
♫ [piano scales] ♫
The painting Broadway Boogie Woogie by Piet Mondrian.
Leah Dickerman, Director of Editorial and
Content Strategy, Creative Team: Where does the “boogie woogie” come from?
Jason: The boogie woogie is traditionally
a blues.
♫ [blues piano] ♫
That’s just it.
I think the coolest thing about a boogie woogie
is what the left hand does.
That’s the boogie part.
The woogie part is the right hand and how
it soloes.
What seems to be the left hand is all of the
smaller squares that are, you know, just continuing
to wipe across the painting from left to right.
The right hand is the larger pieces.
It’s a conversation between the right hand
and the left hand.
It’s a conversation between how do you perforate
the white space.
That’s a C, the two blues are C, and then
those two up there, [scat singing]
I mean this, this is a score.
♫ [scat singing] ♫
♫ [blues piano] ♫
I feel like paintings like this, and music
that it documents,
also is a trail for me to realize how there’s
a way out.
All the good artists have shown us ways out,
or ways forward, I’ll say.
