Jason Moran

This work from the STAGED series evokes a corner of the legendary Three Deuces. Located on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, the venue was home to bebop jazz. Clubs on “The Street,” as it was known, hosted Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker (aka Bird), and Max Roach, among others. These innovators were so dynamic and free onstage that they “played themselves out of the corner,” as Moran notes.

With the rise of bebop in the 1940s, musicians no longer sought to entertain audiences or inspire them to dance, and shifted the focus of concerts to the unique artistry of individual performers instead. In the smaller setting of Three Deuces, musicians created melodies that often sounded like improvisations, thus jazz continued to evolve. Many believe that jazz attained a higher cerebral level there. The installation’s Steinway Spirio player piano emits improvisations performed by Moran.