Joseph Patrick Moore

Joseph Patrick Moore's skill on the bass is fluid and versatile, allowing his talent to shine whether he's playing on his own jazz CDs or freelancing on other musicians' releases, performing in an ensemble setting, or backing the musical theater performances of Carol Channing or Jerry Lewis. His desire to play an instrument showed itself early, and Moore started on the alto sax as a youngster in the fourth grade. He continued on the instrument until his sophomore year of high school, when he joined the marching band and picked up the drums. Within a few years, he took up the electric bass and became a music student of Rusty Holloway, who had worked with Woody Herman. Moore also started playing out in the evenings in a band called Sage, on the stages of various local nightspots. From 1989 through 1991, the bassist was enrolled in the University of Tennessee on a full scholarship. There, in addition to studying with Holloway, he became a student of Donald Brown and Jerry Coker. While at the university, Moore performed in the band Salsa Blue, and also at one time played with Judy Collins and the Knoxville Symphony, as well as Gil Scott.

Moore left the University of Tennessee in 1991 and headed to the University of Memphis, a location he felt would afford him more professional performance gigs. It wasn't long before he was playing in the Charlie Wood Trio each evening for a period of two years. He also spent time teaching and doing studio work. As the recipient of the Milton J. Hinton Scholarship in 1993, he was able to continue his education in jazz. Beginning the following year, the bassist performed in the jazz outfit Memphis Groovetet through 1997; Alvie Givahn on piano and Renardo Ward on drums completed the lineup. Moore put out the first of his albums, Never Never Land, in 1996 through a label that he established, Moore Music Productions. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences honored Moore a year later with an award nomination. Also in 1997, the bassist settled in Atlanta, where he became acquainted with Colonel Bruce Hampton. The meeting led to a yearlong gig with Hampton and his Fiji Mariners. When Hampton moved on and founded Planet Zambee, Moore played in the new band, too.

from Wikipedia:

Joseph Patrick Moore (born October 1, 1969) is an American musician from Knoxville, Tennessee, currently based in Atlanta. He is a bass player, composer, arranger, and record producer who has played alongside Colonel Bruce Hampton, Earl Klugh, Stewart Copeland, John Popper, Derek Trucks, and many other notable musicians. In 2003, he founded Blue Canoe Records, the internet's first all-digital independent jazz label; he co-owns the label with Travis Prescott.

Early years

Moore began playing alto saxophone at age 7 in public school. As a freshman in high school, he took up drums as a member of the marching band. He switched to the bass during his sophomore year. He has said that he was initially inspired by a recurring dream he had about playing the electric bass. He was influenced early by the playing of Paul Chambers, Jimmy Blanton, Ray Brown, and Ron Carter.

One of Moore's first teachers was Rusty Holloway, an instructor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who himself had played with Woody Herman and Dizzy Gillespie, among others. Heeding Holloway's advice, Moore enrolled at the university as a classical studies and jazz performance major, with a concentration on electric bass and double bass. He began playing in bands in Knoxville, including Without Warning (with Nick Raskulinecz) and Sage (with Travis Wyrick). After two and a half years, Moore transferred to the University of Memphis, to be in a city that provided more professional musical opportunities.

Career

Moore began playing nightly on Beale Street with The Charlie Wood Trio. He soon found additional work as a studio musician, teacher, and live performer. In 1996, Moore released his first solo album, Never Never Land, which he financed, arranged, and produced--at the time, an unusual move for a jazz musician. That year, Moore was nominated for a Premier Player award by the Memphis Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

In 1997, Moore moved to Atlanta, where he has remained. He began playing there with Col. Bruce Hampton and his band the Fiji Mariners. As part of Hampton's band, Moore had the opportunity to play with a variety of accomplished guest musicians, including Warren Haynes, John Popper, Derek Trucks, Vassar Clements, and Buddy Miles.

After releasing two more albums, Moore grew disillusioned with the "rat race experience" of shopping for a record deal and decided to start his own record label. He was inspired in part by the examples of musicians such as Ani DiFranco, Tony Levin, and Herbie Hancock. He also received some direct advice from Peter Erskine, drummer for the band Weather Report, who had also started his own label.

Founded in 2003, Moore's Blue Canoe Records was the first independent jazz label to be an all-digital label. Moore has maintained an active recording and touring schedule and played through the rest of the decade alongside a number of eminent musicians, including Stewart Copeland, Earl Klugh, Bob James, and Chris Duarte.

Current work

In 2010, Moore released To Africa With Love, an album that he also composed, arranged, engineered, and mixed. His latest release is the EP XYZ Factor, released in December 2011.