Jason Moran followed the path to greatness in the way that only the best have done: under tutelage with masters, in apprenticeships with established musicians, on tour and through lots of hard work. Growing up in Houston, Texas, in the late '80s, Moran started piano at a young age, discovered Thelonious Monk at 13, and switched his preference from hip-hop to jazz. After studying with the legendary Jaki Byard at the Juilliard School in New York, he recorded for Blue Note with saxophonist Greg Osby, and the label signed him as a solo artist.