Members of California State University Northridge’s Jazz “A” Band are getting a rare opportunity next month to perform alongside acclaimed artist and jazz pianist Jason Moran as they explore the music of jazz great Duke Ellington.

Moran has selected Ellington pieces that address Black American history, specifically the Great Migration. The performance, which will include a vocalist, Daryn Dean, is scheduled to take place at The Soraya, Northridge.

“The opportunity to play the music of Duke Ellington is always an important experience for jazz students,” said Tina Raymond, director of CSUN’s jazz studies program. “Learning how Jason Moran has taken these works and reinterpreted sections to showcase his lineage is eye opening for students to see how they can take historically important works and respectfully reinvent them for their own artistic expression.”

Moran is a composer and artist who has produced nine highly acclaimed recordings with Blue Note Records, and leads a piano trio, “The Bandwagon.” He is currently the artistic director for jazz at The Kennedy Center, and teaches at the New England Conservatory and Jazz Ahead.

The CSUN Jazz “A” Band will be on stage playing both behind Moran’s improvised solos, as well as improving their own solos alongside him.

“Jason’s Ellington program is rarely performed with students, and rather performed with professional ensembles,” Raymond said. “CSUN Jazz is very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Jason on this concert.”

Raymond said the event will showcase the hard work, dedication and talent CSUN jazz students cultivate, as well as the comradery and community that CSUN jazz builds. “I think attendees will most enjoy the in-the-moment, real time, interaction between Moran and the students,” she said.

The CSUN jazz studies program, part of the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media and Communication, is committed to creating opportunities for their students and providing a curriculum focused on all areas of jazz. The jazz performance is part of the fourth annual “Jazz at Naz” Festival.

When: Thursday, February 13, 2025 at 8 p.m.

Where: The Soraya, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA

Click Here for more information.