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2006-05-17
7:30PM
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"The instant you hear one of Moore's monstrous grooves, stuttering press rolls, or "jalopy" tom fills, you recognize him. The thirty-one-year-old drummer is that funky."
-Modern Drummer Magazine
"The funky drummer [Stanton Moore] sets the pace of life in New Orleans-a slightly swung swagger resulting from an unforeseen cultural fusion."
-Downbeat Magazine |
[ Complete Show Schedule... ] |
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| From GALACTIC: The Stanton Moore Trio |
FEATURING:
Stanton Moore - drums
David Torkanowsky - B3
Cranston Clements - guitar |
"I'm just trying to come up with a new voice." - STANTON MOORE
As a founding member of the immensely popular "steamroller funk" band Galactic, drummer STANTON MOORE has more than a full-time job on his hands. However, his devotion to Galactic has not prevented the indefatigable Moore from expanding his musical vision, which he does with fantastic results on his latest project, Flyin' the Koop.
For this remarkable showcase, his second solo album and first release for Blue Thumb Records, Moore invites an all-star cast of groove-minded musicians, featuring bassist Chris Wood (Medeski Martin & Wood), saxophonist Karl Denson (co-founder of seminal acid jazz band the Greyboy Allstars and leader of his own band Tiny Universe), and guitarist Brian Seeger (New Orleans luminary and a member of Moore & More). Moore also includes saxophonist Skerik and the vocal magic of the Wild Magnolias Mardi Gras Indians on "Fallin' off the Floor." The 12-track collection is groove-driven, jazz-informed, and stylistically eclectic, with tunes ranging from rhythmic cookers to straight-ahead jazz launches, from melodic beauties to raunchy funk-rompers.
"At first I was a little concerned that listeners would think I was having an identity crisis because of the variety," says Moore, who co-produced the album with Galactic producer Nick Sansano. "But Nick convinced me that these tunes reflect all the sides of my personality. That's why the album is titled Flyin' the Koop. I was in the studio battling with myself about the tunes: 'Is this too weird, is this too straight-up, should I put them all together?' And then I figured that if you believe in the music, you've got to free yourself from inhibitions and limitations. If you're jumping up and down in the studio 'cause the music is so great, then screw it: You've got to fly the coop."
The New Orleans-born, -bred, and -based drummer tours regularly with Galactic on the international funk-groove scene, igniting the dance floor with grooves steeped in the Crescent City rhythmic tradition. However, Moore's oeuvre as an artist is far more expansive. In addition to his drumming duties with Galactic, Moore has been devoting his spare time to playing in various other bands, including the New Orleans Klezmer All Stars (a group that mixes traditional klezmer with street beats) and his own hometown organ quartet Moore & More (where the groove is deep and the improvisations bold). In 1998, Stanton recorded his debut solo album, All Kooked Out!, with eight-string guitar wiz Charlie Hunter and saxophonist Skerik. All these collaborations have profoundly influenced the music on Flyin' the Koop.
Taken as a whole, this record is one of the strongest New Orleans-based albums of the new decade. And it convincingly offers a compelling look at the next page in the city's illustrious musical history.
"As I was growing up, I'd hear all these great New Orleans musicians, then trace their ideas to the past, whether it was the Mardi Gras Indians or the early brass bands," Moore says. "It's taken me a long time to come up with my own voice and my own take on New Orleans. I wanted to put my own spin on the roots without playing obvious street beats. In the past, I played the obvious just to let people know that I'd checked out the rich traditions. But for this album, I knew it was time to do something different-to incorporate modern technology and come up with my own grooves, ideas, sound-mixes, and songs that push the New Orleans tradition forward."
www.stantonmoore.com |
