Modern Drummer

May 1999

Stanton Moore - Galactic And Beyond

by Robin Tolleson

Stanton Moore is learning what it means to miss New Orleans. The twenty-six-year-old is touring with Galactic in support of their second album, Crazyhorse Mongoose, and doing select dates playing the music he created on All_Kooked_Out! his Fog City solo debut with guitarist Charlie Hunter and saxophonist Skerik.

Moore's memories of the Crescent City of his youth include Mardi Gras and funeral parades. "I remember the bands coming down the street," he says, "hearing the drums, the bass drum first. I would be jumping up and down. I was always drawn to drums. I guess my parents finally figured it would be cheaper to buy me a drum than to replace all their pots and pans."

In high school, Moore played punk rock and got his drum corps chops together under the tutelage of rudimental master Marty Hurley. "I had the whole rudimental thing, but I didn't have a lot of grease," Moore says. "When I started getting into jazz and funk, I still had that energy. I use small drums and try to go for more of a jazz tone-with punk rock energy." Soon Stanton began club-hopping, hanging out with local players like Russell Batiste, Johnny Vidacovich, James Black and Zigaboo [Modeliste]. "It was a huge learning experience just to be around those guys."

Moore attended Loyola University of Music in New Orleans, where he got involved with bebop and trad jazz. "Traditional jazz is very hip," he says. "It's got a lot of street beat and the very funky, slinky stuff." Later, Moore recorded two CDs with the New Orleans Klezmer All Stars, a fun mix of Klezmer and street-beat funk. While in college he joined Galactic, which is now a full-time venture. The experience has given Moore a lot of knowledge and insight into the history of the music. "We try to digest and expand upon that whole tradition of New Orleans music-the Mardi Gras Indians, the brass bands, Professor Longhair, Dr. John, The Meters, Alan Toussaint. The New Orleans street beat is pretty much the birth of the drumset. You can show how swing came from guys playing time with pulsated buzz rolls on the snare drum, and then that got moved up to the hi-hat and eventually to the ride cymbal. You can also show how the syncopated street beat came from the Afro-Cuban thing. They just put those rhythms onto the snare and bass drum, like the clave. If you fill the holes with both hands and then accent beat 4 of the second measure, that's it." Stanton also says that he's checked out Elvin Jones and Tony Williams and tried to incorporate their influences into his style. "I'm just trying to come up with a new voice."

Check out Stanton Moore's website at http://www.fogworld.com/stanton for more info on the band and his gig schedule. You can also listen to the entire album online, in stereo and for free!

Article copyright © 1999 Modern Drummer Magazine.
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