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 playing 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 Juilliard he recorded on Blue Note with saxophonist Greg Osby, the label signing him as a solo artist. He's now a jazz musical advisor at the Kennedy Center and a MacArthur Fellow.