Stanton Moore

by Jesse JarnowA New Orleans musician in every sense of the word, drummer Stanton Moore's main gig is with his enormously popular funk band Galactic but he also plays with a wide variety of other musicians in both club and studio settings. Growing up in New Orleans, Moore was attracted to the thriving music scene, where he absorbed the work of Professor Longhair, Meters drummer Zigaboo Modeliste, and his mentor, Johnny Vidacovich. After meeting founding Galactic members Robert Mercurio and Rich Vogel in the early '90s, Moore played in a series of early versions of the group, including Galactic Prophylactic and the Ivanhoes (in which the band learned a good portion of the catalog of the legendary Meters, New Orleans' founding funk band). In 1994, producer Dan Prothero featured the band's song "Black Eyed Pea" on his Is That Jazz compilation. The band soon recorded Coolin' Off (1996) for Fog City Records, joined in the studio (and, eventually, on the road) by vocalist Theryl Declouet. Through constant touring, Moore met and collaborated with many established funk and jazz musicians, including Medeski, Martin & Wood keyboardist John Medeski, Karl Denson, and even the Meters' bassist George Porter, Jr. Two musicians that Moore hit it off with in particular were eight-string guitarist and TJ Kirk founder Charlie Hunter and saxophonist Skerik. With this core, the band played a handful of live dates and, in the weeks after Mardi Gras 1998, cut what would become oore's first solo disc, All Kooked Out. The disc also featured a handful of New Orleans horn players, including Brent Rose, Brian Seeger, Matt Perrine, Ben Ellman, and former Sun Ra trumpet player Michael Ray. Following the recording of Crazyhorse Mongoose with Galactic, crammed in between Galactic tours, Moore traveled with Hunter and Skerik, playing incendiary live shows throughout the west. Many of Moore's songs are included in Galactic's setlist. He has often played around New Orleans with a revolving cast of musicians, billed as Moore and More. He has also been a member of the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars. He has released a handful of solo albums including All Kooked Out! in 1998, Flyin' the Koop in 2001, III in 2006 and Emphasis! On Parenthesis in 2008.