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Born and raised in New Orleans,
Stanton Moore is a dedicated drummer and performer
especially connected to the city, its culture and collaborative
spirit. Driven and inspired by the thriving music scene
of his hometown which includes such greats as Professor
Longhair, Doctor John and
The Meters, Mooreâs name is now mentioned amongst these
Big Easy mainstays.
In the early â90s, Moore helped found the New Orleans-based
essential funk band Galactic. Their first album, 1996âs
widely acclaimed Coolinâ Off, led to an intense
tour schedule of nearly 200 gigs a year for the next
ten years. Building on their fan base by adding an esteemed
list of all-star collaborations to the six albums that
followed, Galactic continues to amass a worldwide audience
via recording and touring globally.
Moore launched his solo career in 1998 aided by eight-string
guitar virtuoso Charlie Hunter and saxophonist Skerik
(Les Claypool, John Scofield, Roger Waters). The group
recorded All Kooked Out! featuring a handful
of local New Orleans musicians as well.
In the midst of these recording sessions yet another
concept was taking shape. Outtakes turned into the first
Garage a Trois release, Mysteryfunk(1999). In
2000 the trio, led by Moore behind the drum kit, was
joined by percussionist Mike Dillon (Les Claypool, Ani
DiFranco) and has since released three more albums â Emphasizer in
2003, Outre Mer in 2005 and Power
Patriot in 2009.
Moore extended his solo discography with the release
of Flyinâ the Koop (Verve/Blue Thumb) in 2001,
and III (Telarc) in 2006. Following the
latter Modern Drummer called Mooreâs trademark sound
âinfectious, jazz-meets-Bonham, nouveau second-line.â
Recorded at the legendary Preservation Hall in New Orleans, III featured
organist Robert Walter (Greyboy Allstars, The Head Hunters)
and guitarist Will Bernard (T.J. Kirk, Doctor Lonnie
Smith) as the Stanton Moore Trio, with special guests
Skerik and trombonist Mark Mullins (Galactic, Bonerama,
Harry Connick, Jr., Better Than Ezra).
In 2008, Moore looked to continue his scaled back session
crew with Walter and Bernard to record Emphasis!
(on parenthesis). Says Moore, âWhen it came time
to do another record, I had already known for a while
that I wanted to build on the momentum of this band â
three musicians who were becoming a unit unto themselves
â and I wanted to get a little more adventurous with
the music itself.â
In April 2010, Moore releases Groove Alchemy.
The 12-track set is the culmination of Mooreâs multimedia
project that also includes an instructional book and
DVD of the same name. All three facets of the project
are designed to explore the roots of funk drumming by
examining the work of pioneers like Jabo Starks, Clyde
Stubblefield, and Zigaboo Modeliste â each of whom made
their mark at different times throughout the 1960s as
the engines driving James Brownâs and the Metersâ legendary
rhythm sections â and in turn tracing their influences
back to the rhythms coming out of New Orleans in the
earlier part of the 20th century. Recorded at Levon Helmâs
studio in Woodstock, NY, this project is the follow up
to the widely acclaimed Take it to the Street DVD
and book that focused specifically on New Orleans drumming
styles.
Showing his outstanding versatility,
Moore has appeared on Heavy Metal Grammy nominees
Corrosion of Conformityâs In
the Arms of God, Irma Thomasâ After
the Rain (winning a grammy in the
process), Robert Walterâs Super Heavy Organ, Tom
Morello (Rage Against the Machine) and Boots Rileyâs
(the Coup) Street Sweeper Social Club, Will
Bernard's Blue Plate Special, Diane Birchâs Bible
Belt, Alec Ounsworthâs (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) Mo
Beauty and Joss Stone's Colour Me Free!. He
continues to play dates globally with an ever-evolving
cast of musicians including John Scofield; Karl
Denson; George Porter, Jr., and Leo Nocentelli (of the Meters);
Charlie Hunter; Warren Haynes; John Medeski and Chris
Wood (of Medeski, Martin and Wood); Donald Harrison
Jr.; Dr. Lonnie Smith, Dr. John, Tab Benoit, Robert Walter;
the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars and the Preservation
Hall Jazz Band to name a few.
With a bachelorâs degree in music and business from Loyola University, Moore stays involved in education by constantly giving clinics and teaching master classes and private lessons all over the world. He has been a contributing writer for Drum!, Modern Drummer, and DownBeat magazines. To date Moore has been featured on the covers of twelve drum publications worldwide. In 2005, he launched a signature line of cymbals with Bosphorus Cymbals and a signature drumstick with the Vic Firth stick company. In 2009, Moore developed his own drum company to introduce his signature titanium snare drum that he designed in conjunction with Ronn Dunnett. In 2010, Moore collaborated with Gretsch Drums to design and launch his new 4.5"x14" signature
wood snare drum. In 2011, Moore and LP introduced the
new signature pandeiro which was created to be used as
an accessory piece for the drumset.
Deeply affected by Katrina and its aftermath, New Orleansâ
native son was quick to lend a hand by spearheaded
the Tipitinaâs Music Workshop, free Sunday seminars that
cater to children and a rotating cast of well-known professionals
to promote the preservation of New Orleans music. He
also set up the Staletta Fund, a scholarship started
by he and his wife Aletta to help cover costs for aspiring
students to attend jazz camps, auditions and further
their education.
Moore stays active as a spokesperson for the Gulf Restoration
Network and is a regular proponent of and player with
the Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars. Additionally he
serves on the board of directors for the Roots of Music,
a free music education and academic mentoring program
founded by Derrick Tabb, drummer for Rebirth Brass Band
and recent nominee for CNNâs Heroes awards. |