Jason Moran on Toni Morrison, Joan Jonas, and the Art of Listening

Musician and artist Jason Moran introduces his favorites for Artforum’s Under the Influence video series. Asked about his most important teachers, Moran cites the likes of his mother (“she taught me how to learn and not what to know”); instrumentalist and composer Jaki Byard, who played with jazz icons Charles Mingus and Eric Dolphy; and artist Joan Jonas, whom Moran has collaborated with on numerous occasions. Other all-time bests include Toni Morrison’s historical novel Jazz, for its attention to sound, and Charles Burnett’s 1978 film Killer of Sheep, for its meticulous portrayal of Black California.

Watch the full interview at artforum.com