Track Listing

1. Poison Pushy
2. Licorice
3. Big 'Uns Get the Ball Rolling
4. Chilcock
5. (Don't Be Comin' With No) Weak Sauce
6. Dunkin' In the Deep
7. Maple Plank
8. Water From An Ancient Wall
9. When the Levee Breaks
10. I Shall Not Be Moved

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #84374 in Music
• Brand: Stanton
• Released on: 2006-09-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Album Description
New Orleans based jazz funk drummer Stanton Moore was a founding member of the Â"steamroller funkÂ" band Galactic in the early 1990s, and has dabbled in a variety of progressive jazz projects in the years since. His discography includes two solo recordings (All Kooked Out in 1998 and FlyinÂ’ the Koop in 2001) and a host of collaborative projects, including Garage a Trois, a progressive jazz trio with eight-string guitarist Charlie Hunter, saxophonist Skerik and vibraphonist Mike Dillon. Outre Mer, Garage a TroisÂ’ 2005 release on Telarc, followed a consistently polyrhythmic groove, thanks in large part to MooreÂ’s broad range. Moore steps out on his own again for the aptly titled III, his third solo project. This recording features Robert Walter on organ and Will Bernard on guitar, along with a few special guests: Skerik, and trombonist Mark Mullins. The album was recorded at the legendary Preservation Hall in New Orleans. In the final stretch, Moore pays a solemn tribute to his beleaguered hometown with a three-song suite. It begins with beautiful rendition of South African pianist/composer Abdullah IbrahimÂ’s Â"Water from an Ancient Well,Â" followed by a dark and ominous rendition of Led ZeppelinÂ’s Â"When the Levee Breaks,Â" and closes with the gentle spiritual, Â"I Shall Not Be Moved,Â" a track that suggests perseverance and resolve.

Indeed, Moore is a survivor – literally and artistically. Despite some of his own personal setbacks in the aftermath of Katrina, he continues to channel the muse and explore the remote places where jazz, funk, soul and various other musical strains merge. III is, among other things, a survivor’s tale – a recording that ignores adversity and pursues the creative ideal.

From the Artist
Â"I wanted to do something in Preservation Hall because of the sound in the room and the amazing vibe there. After Katrina, they werenÂ’t having music and were waiting to reopen, so I saw that as an awesome and rare opportunity to spend a few days in there with a remote recording setup and make a record. Stanton Moore

About the Artist
Born and raised in New Orleans (and living there still, when heÂ’s not on the road), Stanton Moore is very much a product of geography, culture and creative networking. He grew up in the thriving music scene of his hometown that included Professor Longhair, Doctor John, the Meters and countless other Big Easy mainstays.

In the early ‘90s, Moore hooked up with guitarist Jeff Raines, bassist Robert Mercurio and keyboardist Rich Vogel and saxophonist Ben Ellman to form the New Orleans-based Â"steam-rollerÂ" funk band known as Galactic. After receiving his bachelorÂ’s degree in music and business from Loyola University, Moore and the band made their first record (the widely acclaimed CoolinÂ’ Off) and hit the road to do nearly 200 gigs a year for the first ten years of GalacticÂ’s existence. The band has since released five more albums since CoolinÂ’ Off, and continues to amass a worldwide audience via recording and touring globally.

Aided by eight-string guitar virtuoso Charlie Hunter and saxophonist Skerik (Les Claypool, John Scofield, Roger Waters), Moore launched his solo career in the late ‘90s with the All Kooked Out!, an album recorded in New Orleans just after Mardi Gras in 1998 and released later that year. In addition to the Moore-Hunter-Skerik core, All Kooked Out! also featured a handful of New Orleans horn players, including Brent Rose, Brian Seeger, Matt Perrine, Ben Ellman, and former Sun Ra trumpeter Michael Ray. Moore extended the solo discography with the 2001 release of Flyin’ the Koop (Verve/Blue Thumb).

In the midst of Moore’s All Kooked Out! sessions, yet another concept was taking shape. Outtakes from the session turned into the first Garage a Trois release, Mysteryfunk (1999). In 2000, the trio was augmented by percussionist Mike Dillon (Les Claypool, Ani DeFranco) and has since released two more albums – Emphasizer in 2003 and Outre Mer (on Telarc) in 2005 – both with Moore behind the drum kit.

Moore continues his Telarc affiliation with the September 2006 release of III, his third solo recording. In addition to a trademark sound that Modern Drummer calls Â"infectious, jazz-meets-Bonham, nouveau second-line,Â" III also features organist Robert Walter (Greyboy Allstars, The Head Hunters), guitarist Will Bernard (T.J. Kirk, Doctor Lonnie Smith), along with a few special guests: Skerik and trombonist Mark Mullins (Galactic, Bonerama, Harry Connick, Jr., Better Than Ezra).The album was recorded at the legendary Preservation Hall in New Orleans.

Moore has also been keeping busy with a myriad of side projects. In 2005, he released an educational project covering his approach to New Orleans drumming called Take It to the Street, comprised of a book/CD and two DVDs. The project has been very well received and has won numerous accolades, including 4.5- and 5-star ratings from Modern Drummer magazine and first and second place in the 2006 MD readers poll. The project covers both the traditional and modern approaches to new Orleans second-line drumming and features the Dirty Dozen, George Porter, Jr., and Ivan Neville. To support this project, Moore has been traveling the globe performing one-man clinics (sometimes with band support) and master classes. He has appeared at the Modern Drummer Festival weekend, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), DrummerÂ’s Collective (NYC) and Drummer Live (the main UK drum magazineÂ’s festival).

He stays very involved in education, constantly teaching private lessons in New Orleans and on the road. He was a contributing writer for Drum! magazine and is currently a regular writer for Modern Drummer, which featured him on their April 2004 cover. Showing a rare versatility, he appeared (within the same year) on Heavy Metal Grammy nominees Corrosion of ConformityÂ’s In the Arms of God, Irma ThomasÂ’ After the Rain and Robert WalterÂ’s Super Heavy Organ. In 2005, he launched a signature line of cymbals with Bosphorus Cymbals and a signature drum stick with the Vic Firth stick company.

Despite some severe property damage and other personal setbacks in the aftermath of Katrina, Moore was quick to lend a hand to other drummers in New Orleans by donating cymbals and other gear to musicians whose equipment was damaged by the storm. He has also played a number of benefit concerts in the past year to help raise money for Katrina victims. He recently spearheaded the TipitinaÂ’s Music Workshop to work with young and developing musicians in the New Orleans area. The workshop will focus on the preservation of New Orleans music and culture and will host a rotating cast of well known local and national musicians to work with the attendees. He continues to play dates throughout the Big Easy as well as globally with an ever-evolving cast of musicians: John Scofield; Karl Denson; George Porter, Jr., and Leo Nocentelli (of the Meters); Charlie Hunter; Warren Haynes; John Medeski and John Wood (of Medeski, Martin and Wood); Donald Harrison Jr.; Robert Walter; the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars; the Preservation Hall Jazz Band; Corrosion of Conformity; and Irma Thomas to name a few.

Customer Reviews

It's a scooter ride!
No surprises here! If you know the players involved, then you know what you're going to get. And what you get is just great. Fun, smile-making and a happy swell time.

For the unfamiliar, this music falls into the category of soul/groove jazz. And yes, jazz funk. While not technically astounding, it is clear that the artists create this music from a place of greater understanding - which is to say that they play what needs to be played to make successful music within the genre, not EVERYTHING they know. This is not a Mahavishnu record. It won't blow you away with a chops display. It pulverizes you with deep pockets, has great melodies, shows excellent interplay and is well-arranged. The hallmarks of great soul jazz disks. Of course that's just my take on the sound.

Also just my take... this record kills. Each player is at their best, and doing best their individual "things." And with that, it should be noted that the Nola feel is there. Robert Walter plays some perfect left hand. skerik is nicely understated. The trombone work is an excellent complement to his sax playing here. And Will Bernard is a refreshing switch from the players we are so used to hearing collaborate with Moore. While I dig Charlie Hunter as much as the next guy, Bernard brings a nice one-thing-at-a-time guitar feel to this session that the first Moore record (and subsequent Garage A Trois records) didn't have.

It is funky and tight, and we all know that when we're discussing these players, that is most likely the intent from the gitgo.

Mission Accomplished.

Great Funky Nawlins Flavor!
For about a good year now I have been a big fan of Robert Walter. For about a good 3 months now, I have been a fan of Will Bernard. Ever since I got this CD a few weeks ago, I have been a fan of Stanton Moore.

This CD, despite being filed under "Stanton Moore" is a group effort. Were I to have heard it without knowing whose name was on the disc, I would have guessed Walter's. While all three have shining moments on this disc, Walter wrote the five opening tracks. And while the playing is at all times tight and sensitive (as organ trios have to be), the composition is really what makes this CD. The songs all have great grooves (even the slow ones), and hummable melodies.

Besides the composition, what is most noticeable about this disc is the production and how appropriate it is to the music here. It is very raw; actually recorded fairly live in the Preservation Jazz Hall on portable recording equipment. Moore gets a very Bonham-esque heavy sound (not to mention his boomy jazz bass-drum). Bernard's sharp sound is a good blend with Moore's (and, yes, Moore is up in the mix on all tunes, though not excessively so). Walter's B3 organ provides a soft cushion to round out the edgy production.

The other thing seperating this disc from so many other funky attempts is that these guys (and the 'guest' horn players, Skerik and Mark Mullins) really understand funk, and the New Orleans approach to it. On several of these tracks, one could close their eyes and hear the Meters, particularly Moore's 'borrowing' of several of "Zigaboo" Modeliste's drum 'tricks'. The group's groove and feel is impeccable throughout and even the slower tracks at the end of the disc are about as 'in the pocket' as one can get.

All of this is another way of saying that if you like New Orleans style funk, good, sensitive playing, and good tunes, you will want to check this CD out. Especially, i would reccomend this for folks who really like the sound of Medeski, Martin, and Wood when they choose to remain in this tonal hemisphere.

more solid Stanton
Stanton Moore picks the Zeppelinesque title of III for his third solo CD, and he even covers a Led Zep song, "When The Levee Breaks". This CD is formatted like his others, in that it starts off funky, from "Poison Pushy" to "Maple Plank". The last three songs shift the tone, this time to a sorrowful tone with three cover songs related (indirectly) to New Orleans' Katrina disaster. The band is mostly a trio, Robert Walter plays organ and handles the bass notes (on the organ). Will Bernard plays bluesy guitar. Skerik plays sax on five of the songs. Stanton has made a lot of music with these guys in one form or the other. The CD is simply very good, it might be slightly better than "Flyin' the Koop". It's great acoustic funk, with well-written songs, starts, stops, syncopation, solos, and so forth.