with Conversations – Jazz/Rock Drummer Stanton Moore returns and reinvents!
Drums – Born: July 9, 1972
Checking the birthdays at All About Jazz, yesterday I saw that it was drummer Stanton Moore’s 42nd birthday, and that he had released a new album Conversations this year. I first discovered Stanton’s drumming back in 2010, when he released Groove Alchemy, Anyway I enjoyed that album, additionally, when I looked back at the old post that I wrote I saw that I also heard Stanton’s drums on Anders Osborne’s album American Patchwork! So it didn’t take me long to head on over to Spotify to explore the album. Here’s some background for those of you unfamiliar with Stanton’s work….
For over 20 years Stanton Moore has been an alternative rock, jazz funk, blues, heavy metal, and funk rock drummer! He is best known for his work as a founding member and drummer with Galactic. In addition to his work with Galactic Moore has released six albums under his name, four albums with Garage-a-trois which features in addition to Moore on drums, saxophonist Skerik, vibraphone and percussionist Mike Dillon and keyboardist Marco Benevento, and eight more albums with a variety og=f others. The most recent being the Streetsweepers Social Club which features Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Boots Riley of the Coup. Along the way in his spare time, yeah right, Moore organized the all-star brass band Midnite Disturbers with drummer Kevin O’Day. The Midnite Disturbers are Trombone Shorty and Jamelle Williams on trumpets, Big Sam and Mark Mullins on trombones, Ben Ellman and Skerik on saxophones, Jeffery Hills on sousaphone and Kevin O’Day and Moore on drums. And there’s even more, the point is that Stanton must work 27 hours a day to play in all the bands that he does!! I’m not even going to get into the snare drum he designed or the drum company that he owns!!!
Conversations Stanton Moore’s new album was released in April on Royal Potato Records (Groove Alchemy was released on Telarc label – sound familiar – see Himori- seems they have some good stuff, eh?) The album is Moore’s first straight ahead jazz trio album.He calls it a “return to my roots and a reinvention”. A return to his roots because he gets to play alongside, guys that he grew up with in the New Orleans music scene and play songs drawn from New Orleans composers, including James Black (“Magnolia Triangle” and “In The Keyhole”), Steve Masakowski (“The Chase”) and Paul Barbarin (“Paul Barbarin’s Second Line”).
Here’s what Stanton Moore says about those guys he get to record with……
For my new jazz piano trio record “CONVERSATIONS” I’ve assembled some great New Orleans musical luminaries in bassist James Singleton and Pianist David Torkanowsky. James has played with James Booker, Professor Longhair, Johnny Vidacovich, Astral Project, James Black, Aarron Neville, Joe Henderson, Milt Jackson, Eddie Harris, Clark Terry, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Gatemouth Brown, John Scofield, Wild Magnolias, Dave Liebman, Natalie Cole, Ellis, Branford, Wynton, and Jason Marsalis, ,Anders Osborne, Harry Connick jr, Jon Cleary and John Mooney. David has worked with The Meters, Maceo Parker, Dianne Reeves, Nat Adderley, Dr. John, Boz Scaggs, Johnny Adams, Eddie Harris, Sonny Fortune, Sweets Edison, George Duke, Kirk Whalum, Regina Belle, Joe Henderson, James Moody, Greg Osby, Maria Muldaur, Al Hirt and Chuck Berry. Both have been long time collaborators with my mentor Johnny Vidacovich and Astral Project. We’ve been playing out in New Orleans together for some time now and it’s come time to take some of the material we’ve been working on live and capture it on a record
So these guys have played with just a few (he writes with sarcasm) names in the jazz and blues genres and it shows that they know their way around these songs. I particularly like the piano of Torkanowsky! I know that more than once I looked down to see what was that good track only to find that it was “Carnival”, “Driftin'” or “Magnolia Triangle”. So I guess they must be my favorites, but hey that may change by the end of next week!!!
So Happy Belated Birthday, Stanton Moore – hope it was a good one!! Here’s Stanton and the band playing the title track “Conversations”…….
Links for Further Explorations of the Music of Stanton Moore