Nick Moran is a bassist, educator, and producer who has performed nationally and internationally for more than 25 years. His work spans jazz, Afro-Cuban music, contemporary music, and improvisation, with collaborations including Ingrid Jensen, Dayna Stephens, Adam Nussbaum, Ben Sidran, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Clyde Stubblefield, David “Fathead” Newman, Ana Laan, Juan de Marcos González, Roberto Vizcaíno Guillot, and hip-hop pioneer DJ Kool Herc.
He currently performs with internationally recognized ensembles Phat Phunktion and Golpe Tierra, as well as his Cuban dance music project, TinMás. His extensive touring has taken him to Cuba, Japan, and India. His work has earned him Madison’s Jazz Personality of the Year by mayoral proclamation in 2014 and Latin Musician of the Year in 2022.
At UW–Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music, Moran teaches double bass and electric bass and directs the Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble and Contemporary Jazz Ensemble. He also founded the Resistance Music Ensemble. With more than two decades of teaching experience, he brings his work as a performer, improviser, and bandleader into the studio and classroom.
Beyond performing and teaching, Moran has produced concerts, festivals, and artist-led projects throughout Madison, including eight seasons of the DIG Jazz concert series and the Madison Jazz Festival from 2021–2024.
Moran earned his Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music in Double Bass Performance from UW–Madison, studying with Professor Peter Dominguez, and holds a B.A. in Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies. His early studies included work with Cuban bassist Orlando “Cachaíto” López of the Buena Vista Social Club and Dr. James Clute of the Minnesota Orchestra.