Stanton Moore - All Kooked Out!

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:54
Size: 145,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:16)  1. Tchfunkta
(6:01)  2. Common Ground
(6:15)  3. Green Chimneys
(4:59)  4. Blues For Ben
(3:11)  5. Kooks On Parade
(5:23)  6. Nalgas
(5:03)  7. Witch Doctor
(4:58)  8. Boogaloo Boogie
(4:24)  9. Nobody's Blues
(3:21) 10. Stanton Hits The Bottle
(2:33) 11. Farmstead Antiques
(7:29) 12. Angel Nemali
(4:56) 13. Honey Island

It takes a special kind of drummer to be a leader. Maybe a nervy one. There's the temptation to grandstand with showy over-domination or remain buried in a rhythm section and let someone else take the honors. The most successful drummer-leaders are either innovative melodists like Art Blakey, Shelly Manne and Tony Williams. Or they're artful percussionists like Louis Bellson, Chico Hamilton or Leon Parker. Then there's Stanton Moore. As a New Orleans native, he's grown up on the Mardi Gras gumbo of the Meters and Professor Longhair. But as a drummer, he digs deep into the boogaloo bayou of James Brown and Lou Donaldson. He clearly does not believe drumming merely keeps time. When Moore motivates, you'll start moving. Actually, he makes it seem inhuman to sit still. In other interesting spheres, Moore ignites the New Orleans Klezmer All Stars and scales the charts as a founding member of the popular funk band, Galactic. With All Kooked Out, the young drummer steps out on his own. This excellent debut offers Moore entrance to the funk pantheon (your hosts, Melvin Parker, Bernard Purdie, Idris Muhammad and Harvey Mason) and places him firmly in the same contemporary league of royalty heretofore occupied only by MMW's highly esteemed Billy Martin.

Unlike Galactic's keyboard-driven groove and occasional vocals, Moore opts for an all-instrumental guitar-sax groove on All Kooked Out. As he does elsewhere, he keeps it pretty simple- riding the snare, bass and occasional cymbal - but always with engaging funk at the source. Drum solos are kept to a minimum. But, thankfully, they're always in the context rather at the expense of the music. Moore's real coup is recruiting guitarist Charlie Hunter for this party. Hunter adds the rhythmic kick and the melodic groove that gives Moore's beat real substance. Somehow, Hunter manages an eight-string guitar, giving him the ability to play bass and guitar parts at the same time. With a special attachment, he can even make his guitar sound like a Hammond B-3 organ. Hunter, who's paired less interestingly with Leon Parker on his latest Blue Note release, Duo, proffers a formidable partnership with Moore. The two like-minded hipsters display much interchange, well worth hearing: at least for those who think funk offers something of value. A basic trio (supplemented at times by a small cast of New Orleans all stars including Galactic Matt Pierce on tuba and former Sun Ra trumpeter Michael Ray) is rounded out by the wacky, yet appealing John Zorn saxophonics of Skerik (doin' the Harold Alexander thing).

It's an exceedingly winning combination too. Plenty of shining is heard throughout, notably on the brass band boogie of "Blues for Ben" (a great millennial party tune and a choice slice of Hunter in Wes-meets-Grant mode), John Patton's "Boogaloo Boogie" (an ideal showcase for Hunter's amazing, tuneful facility), the date's lone ballad , the beautiful "Honey Island," and the nice surprise of Dudu Pakwana's "Angel Nemali" (Skerik's best moment). All the while, the drummer puts out, completely in charge. No need to worry about giving this drummer some, he's earning every bit. Name check his influences as you grind through the Lou Donaldson rock of "Common Ground," Monk's clunky and chunky "Green Chimneys," and the James Brown jambalaya of "Nalgas," one of several memorable group originals/jams. Throughout, Moore keeps it funky. And since he keeps the environment limited to mostly just guitar-sax-drums - allowing truly excellent musicanship throughout - he winds up with something that ranks among the year's finer jazz releases. So does funk make for good jazz? Hard to say. Some people just don't want to have fun. They're the ones who think something catchy has nothing to say. Stanton Moore knows better. Those who hear him will surely agree. And those who groove to All Kooked Out will be all the richer for it. ~ Douglas Payne https://www.allaboutjazz.com/all-kooked-out-stanton-moore-fog-city-records-review-by-douglas-payne.php

Personnel:  Stanton Moore: drums & percussion; Charlie Hunter: eight-string guitar; Skerik: tenor and baritone saxophones: Matt Perrine: tuba: Brent Rose: tenor sax, soprano sax; Brian Seeger: guitar; Ben Ellman: tenor sax; Michael Ray: trumpet; Craig Klein: trombone.

All Kooked Out!

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Stanton Moore - Groove Alchemy

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:13
Size: 124,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:32)  1. Squash Blossom
(4:48)  2. Pie-Eyed Manc
(4:35)  3. Pot Licker
(4:46)  4. Root Cellar
(5:22)  5. Keep on Gwine
(6:17)  6. Neeps and Tatties
(3:57)  7. Up To Here
(5:09)  8. Knocker
(5:11)  9. Shiftless
(4:12) 10. Cleanse This House
(2:09) 11. Aletta
(3:09) 12. He Stopped Loving Her Today

Those expecting anything revolutionary or particularly new from Stanton Moore's trio with guitarist Will Bernard and Robert Walter on B-3 on Groove Alchemy will either be wonderfully relieved or woefully disappointed -- there isn’t. The CD is aural evidence of the trio doing what it does best: being funky and playing in a relaxed, open style that keeps the grooves tight and the musicianship at a maximum. And it's enough.Check out the guitar and organ solos in “Squash Bottom,” the first of these dozen tracks. The popping vamps create the vibe and give way naturally thanks to Moore’s deadly breaks to Bernard’s multi-string chord solo and the percussive organ flow Walter is so famous for. Things get downright Meters-esque on “Pie-Eyed Manic,” with stuttering breaks and two sets of riffs answering one another after four bars apiece. And on it goes, though “Pot Licker” is the funkiest Walter has ever sounded on the B-3. Bernard pushes his chords and leads right through the melody to let the left-hand organ bassline stick out front. Moore just rolls through and develops his grooves as he plays. There is a cover of James Booker's “Keep on Gwine” on which Walter plays piano. 

Though he does so beautifully, it’s more about Moore’s ability to let his Crescent City, second-line swing develop and carry the tune. There’s a longish cover of “Neeps and Tatties” that becomes an outright rhythm brawl between Walter and Moore, as Bernard just eases into the flow and lets the knottier side of his guitar style get into the fray all without letting the groove lilt. The real curve ball on this set is in its final track, a cover of the George Jones’ country vehicle “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” Bernard leads the way with his guitar on the melody, and Moore plays doubles on the front side rather than the backbeat. It’s still a ballad, but one that carries a distinctly New Orleans feel as it swells toward the end. Groove Alchemy is simply a good-time funky record, full of great beats, killer guitar, and nasty organ by a trio that knows how not to mess up a good thing. ~ Thom Jurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/groove-alchemy-mw0001969510

Personnel: Stanton Moore (drums); Will Bernard (guitar); Robert Walter (piano, Hammond b-3 organ)

Groove Alchemy

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Stanton Moore - Emphasis on parenthesis

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:53
Size: 108,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:27)  1. (Late night at the) Maple Leaf
(2:56)  2. (Proper) Gander
(3:22)  3. Wissions (Of vu)
(5:10)  4. (Sifting through the) African Diaspora
(4:37)  5. Over (Compensatin)
(5:39)  6. (Smell my) Special Ingredients
(3:48)  7. (I have) Super Strength
(4:28)  8. (Who ate the) Layer Cake
(2:57)  9. Thanks! (Again)
(4:07) 10. (Put on your) Big People Shoes
(3:19) 11. (Here come) The Brown Police

When New Orleans native son Stanton Moore settles down behind his drum kit, what's sure to follow is enough electrifying energy and raw power to rebuild The Crescent City all by its own bad self.  Moore's rocking and rolling drums are pushed upfront in the mix, but they don't drown out Will Bernard's guitar and Robert Walter's keyboards. This trio is very much a democracy and there's plenty of room for each musician to go off on his own, while still staying within the framework of the band. Nothing here is meant to be taken too seriously, as Emphasis! (On Parenthesis) is all about the grooving and jamming. The real difference between "(Put On Your) Big People Shoes" and "Proper (Gander)" may be nothing more than how much longer or shorter one song is, compared to the other. Walter's deliciously bent toy piano on the loopy "Wissions (of Vu)" and Moore's funky timekeeping sound as thought they were written for an over-the-top Quentin Tarantino flick. "(Sifting Through the) African Diaspora" features a reverberating bass line that will have you searching the liner notes for the musician, but it's only Walter working the bass pedals on the Hammond B3 to perfection. "(Who Ate the) Layer Cake?" is straight-up, Jeff Beck-ish dirty rock n' roll complete with guitar riffs and thundering drum rolls. "Proper (Gander)" allows Bernard to go off on some high-flying solos as Moore anchors it all, bashing the hell out of his drums. All that's missing is a shaggy, long-haired blond lead singer (which isn't all bad). Moore can change up from funk to rock and back to jazz seamlessly, and seems equally at home with any genre he chooses. The problem for any critic with an album like Emphasis! (On Parenthesis) is they risk exposing the reader to paralysis by analysis. This isn't the kind of album you have to think about too much. Moore, Bernard and Walter are clearly having a good time and they want you to as well. This lean, mean and sassy album is meant to be played and enjoyed, not pondered. There's not a wasted moment or a bad song on this album. It's a solid contender to be on many end of the year "Best of" lists. ~ Jeff Winbush https://www.allaboutjazz.com/emphasis-on-parenthesis-stanton-moore-telarc-records-review-by-jeff-winbush.php

Personnel: Stanton Moore: drums; Will Bernard: guitar; Robert Walter: Hammond B3, piano, toy piano and clavinet; Michael Skinkus: shakere (6); Robert Wilmott Walter: vocals (7).

Emphasis on parenthesis

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Stanton Moore - With You In Mind

Styles: Jazz, Bop
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:57
Size: 122,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:06)  1. Here Come The Girls
(3:46)  2. Life
(4:56)  3. Java
(5:37)  4. All These Things
(6:00)  5. Night People
(4:19)  6. The Beat
(5:59)  7. Riverboat
(4:25)  8. Everything I Do Gone Be Funky
(6:10)  9. With You In My Mind
(7:33) 10. Southern Nights

Galactic drummer Stanton Moore is a busy man. Besides working with NOLA's funky sons, he teaches, does a copious amount of TV and film work, and works on solo projects. One of the latter is his acclaimed trio with organist David Torkanowsky and bassist James Singleton. The three had booked studio time in the fall of 2015 to cut a follow-up to the previous year's celebrated Conversations. That was put on hold when Crescent City icon Allen Toussaint died suddenly after a concert in Spain. Moore's trio didn't feel right proceeding on their own without acknowledging the artist's passing. Moore had done studio work with Toussaint, and the shadow of his influence on the trio looms large.

Instead of cutting an original record, the three assembled a host of NOLA luminaries for this masterful presentation of Toussaint's multi-faceted compositions. Vocalist Cyril Neville fronts the band on half the set's tunes, including the raucous "Here Come the Girls" (with a burning solo by Trombone Shorty). Neville's also there on the syncopated, second-line funk of "Life," whose horn section boasts solos by trumpeter Nicholas Payton and saxophonist Skerik, as well as a killer backing chorus comprised of Erica Falls and Jolynda Chapman. The latter of these two fronts the trio on the soulful ballad "All These Things." There are excellent instrumentals to boot. "Java," a famous Toussaint jazz tune synonymous with Al Hirt, is realized with Torkanowsky laying down his most "humid" piano lines amid a knotty, hard-swinging horn section comprised of Big Chief Donald Harrison, Jr., Payton, and Shorty, with Moore and Singleton driving the rhythm home. The altoist and trumpeter also join the trio on the bluesy, nocturnal "Riverboat," with its gospel overtones and shimmering atmospheric vibe adorned by gently rolling snare, tom-toms, and electric piano. On the deep funk tip, there's the eternal "Everything I Do Gon' Be Funky from Now On" that joins Moore's trio to sax players Maceo Parker and Skerik, trumpeter Eric Bloom and trombonist Mark Mullins. Neville and the backing vocalists emphasize the Mardi Gras Indian-styled chant in the refrain as the groove thunders. Toussaint was nothing if not a supreme melodist. In the title track, Singleton lays down a gorgeous solo before Moore and Torkanowsky follow to improvise on the harmony with grace and elegance. Actor Wendell Pierce guests on the classic "Southern Nights." He speaks the lyric with a jazzman's swing and a rapper's sense of time. Then Payton takes over the unmistakable sweet soul melody on a B-3 while Torkanowsky adds fills with an electric piano; Singleton and Moore frame it all with a laid-back groove. The icing on the cake is Payton's Louis Armstrong-inspired trumpet solo to carry it out. It's likely that other tributes to Toussaint's genius will follow, but it's just as likely that few will be as heartfelt and discerning as the Stanton Moore Trio's With You in Mind. ~ Thom Jurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/with-you-in-mind-mw0003047826

Personnel: Stanton Moore (drums); David Torkanowsky (keyboards). Featuring: Jolynda Kiki Chapman, Cyril Neville, Nicholas Payton, Donald Harrison, Trombone Shorty, Maceo Parker, Nicholas Payton and Wendell Pierce.

With You In Mind

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Stanton Moore - Flyin' The Koop

Styles: Jazz, Bop
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:17
Size: 120,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:05)  1. Tang the Hump
(4:32)  2. Fallin' off the Floor
(5:55)  3. Let's Go
(4:00)  4. Launcho Diablo
(4:08)  5. Prairie Sunset
(3:22)  6. Things Fall Apart
(4:06)  7. Amy's Lament
(6:04)  8. Magnolia Triangle
(5:14)  9. Hunch
(1:47) 10. Bottoms Up
(3:46) 11. For the Record
(3:12) 12. Organized Chaos

Galactic drummer Stanton Moore returns for his sophomore solo effort on a major label with a host of super-choppers at his side, including Chris Wood from Medeski, Martin & Wood, the Greyboy Allstars' Karl Denson, saxophonist Skerik, guitarist Brian Seeger, and New Orleans Mardi Gras Indians and all around vocalists extraordinaire the Wild Magnolias. As on his debut, All Kooked Out, Moore's primary motivating factor is the almighty groove and how to present it in challenging, innovative settings. And he does it here. There's the jazzed-out funky romp of "Tang the Hump," with a subtle New Orleans second-line rhythm backing up the syncopation. And then there's the drum skank on "Fallin' off the Floor," where Chris Wood and Moore play deep, blue funk as the horns play the line. But Moore is also capable of being a jazzer, and he displays this to the hilt on the beautifully driven, R&B-inflected "Prairie Sunset," whose lyrical invention is as gorgeously intricate as any saxophonist's. Also is the deep funk jazz on the intense, jam-oriented "Launcho Diablo," with dueling flute and saxophones in between the rhythmic accents. The drive here is almost Afro-funk, but its architecture is strictly jazz, with the knotty key changes and improvised middle, with a screaming guitar solo Seeger. Moore is a solid bandleader and composer who stresses the groove as the backbone of every track; everything must move along a perimeter of backbone slipping greasy punch, no matter where it comes from originally or gets to. In many ways, as satisfying as Galactic can be live, Moore manages to be the same way on record. He's got the party fully in hand and knows how to make its dynamics work, carrying the listener up to the threshold, slipping them into a little loose-groove meditation, and carrying them out on the steaming rhythmic rail. This is every bit as good as his debut and is as good as any New Orleans record you're likely to find in the 21st century. 

~ Thom Jurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/flyin-the-koop-mw0000214727

Personnel: Stanton Moore (drums, shaker, tambourine, loops); Brian Seeger (guitar); Karl Denson (flute); Skerik (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Chris Wood (upright bass, electric bass, bass programming); Chris Lovejoy (shaker, caxixi).

Flyin' The Koop

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Stanton Moore - Conversations

Styles: Jazz, Bop
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:03
Size: 146,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:05)  1. Lauren Z
(6:14)  2. Carnival
(7:29)  3. Driftin'
(4:53)  4. Magnolia Triangle
(4:11)  5. Waltz for All Souls
(6:18)  6. Tchefunkta
(4:51)  7. The Chase
(4:18)  8. Big Greaze
(7:25)  9. In the Keyhole
(5:29) 10. Paul Barbarin's Second Line
(6:46) 11. Prayer

Conversations is the first straight jazz date led by drummer Stanton Moore, who is best known as the kit man for NOLA jam-funk powerhouse Galactic. He is no stranger to jazz; he plays it in hybrid form with the Garage a Trois quartet but they play lots of other music too. Here Moore is in the company of two New Orleans jazz veterans: bassist James Singleton and pianist David Torkanowsky. The drummer took lessons from the Crescent City's celebrated Kenny Washington to up his chops for this group. And it is a group. They formed to play a weekly club gig at Snug's Harbor in 2012 and have been doing so ever since. The program is almost exclusively comprised of tunes by New Orleans composers and the personnel with one notable exception, Herbie Hancock's blues "Driftin'," onto which Torkanowsky grafted a strolling, striding, James Booker-inspired intro. The swing quotient here is high. Though all the material is straight-ahead jazz, it purposely reflects the city's tradition. On "Carnival," a Mardi-Gras second-line groover led by a martial drum solo intro, the rolling, marching terrain gets nearly modal in the midsection and the drummer's tom toms employ wonderful breaks and Latin tinges while the pianist weaves elegant harmonic s flourishes into the funky changes. "Waltz for All Souls" is an elegiac ballad with gorgeous arco work in the midsection from Singleton. Moore's playing reflects the funeral parade marchers as Torkanowsky brings forth the gospel tradition. Even in the bluesy, swinging post-hard bop of "In the Keyhole," whose melody reflects the Horace Silver trio, one can hear the influence of Professor Longhair's groove quotient amid the syncopation, knotty rim shots, and fingerpopping bassline. Moore offers not only in-the-pocket flair, but ample imagination. His interaction with Torkanowsky shines on opener "Lauren Z," where his rolls and fills accent Singleton's thrumming groove pulse and push the pianist to fully employ fluid, fleet, mid-high register ostinatos. There is a substantial neo-bop flair in the funky "Big Greaze," and the pianist's assured runs and improvising acumen lead the conversation into compelling terrain. The reading of standard "Paul Barbarin's Second Line" is anything but rote. The complex interplay between Singleton and Moore opens the gates for Torkanowsky to explore the ranges of the tune's harmonics. Conversations is well balanced, beautifully played and musically engaging throughout. While it will be interesting to note the reactions of jam band and Galactic fans, jazz listeners will find much to enjoy here. ~ Thom Jurek http://www.allmusic.com/album/conversations-mw0002620798

Personnel: Stanton Moore (drums); David Torkanowsky (piano).

Conversations

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