The Bandwagon at 20

Celebrated jazz pianist, composer, and visual artist Jason Moran performs with his band, The Bandwagon, in conjunction with his first solo exhibition at the Whitney. The band—comprising Moran, bassist Tarus Mateen, and drummer Nasheet Waits—celebrated its twentieth anniversary in December 2019 with a series of concerts at the Whitney. 

Moran, Mateen, and Waits first began performing together in 1998 as the rhythm section of the band New Directions (named after legendary jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette’s 1978 album). In late 1999, after the New Directions group disbanded, Moran, who had recently signed to Blue Note Records, began touring with Mateen and Waits, billed as the Jason Moran Trio. Soon after, they began referring to themselves as The Bandwagon. In 2000, Moran released Facing Left with the Bandwagon, the first of more than six albums featuring the ensemble.