MASS MoCA’s exhibition Black Stars: Writing in the Dark invites visitors to reflect on the experience of making—and listening to—music. The installation offers works by the pianist, composer, and visual artist Jason Moran, who also serves as artistic director for jazz at The Kennedy Center. STAGED: Studio Rivbea pays tribute to the downtown Manhattan loft, and frequent gathering spot for musicians, of integral free-jazz movement artist Sam Rivers and his wife and collaborator, Beatrice Rivers. Sam Rivers joined forces with Moran on the nuanced 2001 album Black Stars. “He embraces simple, emotional statements sophisticated in their mystery.” Sample some of this jazzy mystique at the MASS MoCA show (through November).