An electric atmosphere permeated the packed house at 92YTribeca Saturday night for a twin bill of two piano jazz masters. A collaborative effort between legendary pianist Geri Allen and visual artist Carrie Mae Weems started the night, guiding the audience through an emotional journey titled “A Story Within A Story.” Allen’s slow, melodic piano introduction accompanied Weems' images of a lone woman wandering a stark, barren landscape. Allen’s piano established itself as the voice of the woman seen at the onset of the piece, expressing frustration, worry and fear through staccato-paced sections and diminished-chord progressions that suggested the woman’s inner struggle.
Following a furiously syncopated section that suggested some form of escape, the emotional journey found peace and solitude as Allen’s serene notes were accented by images of flowing silk. The final section of the work, “The Holocaust Memorial,” featured a video of Weems performing interpretative dance moves while wandering through the pillars of Peter Eisenman’s deconstructivist public memorial in Berlin. Allen’s slow, scaling descent on the piano completed the emotional roller coaster.
The second half of the night featured Jason Moran and the Bandwagon: a high-energy, tightly knit trio with Moran on piano, Tarus Mateen on hollow-body bass and Nasheet Waits on drums. The unspoken connection between the trio and their keen awareness of their musical influences combined for an explosive set which combined sampled performances by such greats as Billie Holiday with songs such as “Wig Wise” from Facing Left, “RFK in the Land of Apartheid” off of Ten, and “Live, Life, Time.” A mid-set play of a Gladys Knight recording provided the trio with a brief respite prior to their highly syncopated version of Fats Waller’s “The Joint Is Jumpin.”
2010 MacArthur Fellow Moran, who was recently named as the Kennedy Center’s artistic adviser for jazz, closed the show by offering audience members the “best f-ing cupcakes in the world” in honor of his birthday, claiming that New Haven’s cupcakes are far better than any found in New York. No argument here.