Pianist and composer Jason Moran’s multidisciplinary The Absence of Ruin examines the life and legacy of James Reese Europe, the underrecognized Black American composer and bandleader who arrived in France with the Harlem Hellfighters in 1918. The celebrated all-Black military unit helped break the stalemate on the Western Front, while Europe’s ensemble introduced a new spirit of jazz to a war-torn France fascinated by Black culture.

Moran approaches that history as a meditation on memory in Black culture. His longtime Bandwagon collaborators—bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits—are joined by a seven-piece horn section, with visual imagery by Oscar-nominated cinematographer Bradford Young, creating a layered tribute to Europe’s musical and cultural impact.