- Published on
JazzUsa.com
by Raymond Redmond
by Raymond Redmond
This second album from bassist Joseph Patrick Moore is good. Not superior, but solid. The first song Datz It starts out a little weak, but by the end it is full and jumping. Then comes Ashes to Ashes and you begin to think there may be something here. The keyboard work of Bill Anschell and Vance Thompson’shorn work shine here, as they do throughout the CD, and Jimmy Herring plays a wicked guitar solo in the middle.
After Big Butt Bass, a 27 second song/solo by Moore on his bass, comes the title tune. Perhaps there is a melodic harmonic intent here, but it gets by me. I found the song to be interesting but pretty atonal. It has some great horn work in it, but it would not be my choice for a title tune. After another interlude, this one a 1-1/2 minute drum-centric piece dedicated to Tony Williams, Moore comes back strong and funky on Mumphis Cosanostra. Sort of retro, this is one of the better songs on the CD, and it again features strong horn lines and some groovin keyboard lines by Anschell.
The bass throughout the album is strong and rhythmic, Moore definitely has his own style. Cosmic Dance is even more retro with it’s Chicago-esque horn lines and hammond-ish keyboards. Goin’ to California is the obligatory ‘this is my album and I’m gonna do a mostly solo song to show off my chops’ song. Stanley Clarke does it all the time, and Moore is good enough to pull it off. The CD ends up with a lively rendition of the classic pop tune ‘Dust in the Wind‘, which has more of those odd harmonies that bothered me on the title track. There is also a hidden track at the ten minutes mark o f ‘Dust’ (which fades after three minutes or so). It’s a rainy day kind of thing that is better than some of the noted songs on the CD.
With Soul Cloud, Joseph Patrick Moore has brought together some good musicians and put together a release that is a step up into the big time. A little more polish here and there, less of that odd harmony and Joseph Patrick Moore will be a major player in the Jazz world.
After Big Butt Bass, a 27 second song/solo by Moore on his bass, comes the title tune. Perhaps there is a melodic harmonic intent here, but it gets by me. I found the song to be interesting but pretty atonal. It has some great horn work in it, but it would not be my choice for a title tune. After another interlude, this one a 1-1/2 minute drum-centric piece dedicated to Tony Williams, Moore comes back strong and funky on Mumphis Cosanostra. Sort of retro, this is one of the better songs on the CD, and it again features strong horn lines and some groovin keyboard lines by Anschell.
The bass throughout the album is strong and rhythmic, Moore definitely has his own style. Cosmic Dance is even more retro with it’s Chicago-esque horn lines and hammond-ish keyboards. Goin’ to California is the obligatory ‘this is my album and I’m gonna do a mostly solo song to show off my chops’ song. Stanley Clarke does it all the time, and Moore is good enough to pull it off. The CD ends up with a lively rendition of the classic pop tune ‘Dust in the Wind‘, which has more of those odd harmonies that bothered me on the title track. There is also a hidden track at the ten minutes mark o f ‘Dust’ (which fades after three minutes or so). It’s a rainy day kind of thing that is better than some of the noted songs on the CD.
With Soul Cloud, Joseph Patrick Moore has brought together some good musicians and put together a release that is a step up into the big time. A little more polish here and there, less of that odd harmony and Joseph Patrick Moore will be a major player in the Jazz world.
- Published on
Talkbass, November 2000
Review by June Rhee
www.talkbass.com
Review by June Rhee
www.talkbass.com
The first image that came to mind when I listened to SoulCloud, which features bassist Joseph Patrick Moore’s original compositions, was a swank nightclub patroned by hipsters cloaked in black leather at some unidentified New York venue. Tipping its hat to 1970s funk, this CD contains talented musicians and tight ensemble work, both of which are further strengthened by a quality recording. Solo highlights include trumpeter Vance Thompson on track 4, pianist Bill Anschell on track 2, and drummer Phillip Smith on track 5, not to mention Moore’s own bass prowess, which he shows off on an intense bass solo that evokes memoirs of Seinfeldesque city streets entitled BIG BUTT BASS. The name tells it all.
This is a strong CD, much to Moore’s credit. However, while swank isn’t necessarily a bad image, nearly 9 tracks of it does lend itself to leaving the listener rather musically parched. The instrumentation on 6 of the 9 tracks – bass, guitar, brass, drums, keyboards has little variation, and the structure of the pieces felt rather convoluted at times until the solos kicked in. The ensemble in general lacked a certain spark, incited when the members click perfectly together on a personal and musical level. Rather, I heard several talented musicians playing different instruments at the same time. Perhaps on the next CD Moore can experiment with his setup through utilizing a smaller group of musicians or varying the instrumentation on more tracks.
Moore’s arrangement of GOING TO CALIFORNIA was beautiful, providing a welcome respite from the dark, underground atmosphere of the earlier tracks. Most worthy of note was his jazzed-up arrangement of DUST IN THE WIND, to be avoided by any of you Kansas purists out there. I, on the other hand, highly enjoyed the brisk, sunny-side-up mood.
These shortcomings did little to detract from my coffee and Nutella morning ritual, however. I indeed look forward to and hope to hear more of this bassist’s creations.
This is a strong CD, much to Moore’s credit. However, while swank isn’t necessarily a bad image, nearly 9 tracks of it does lend itself to leaving the listener rather musically parched. The instrumentation on 6 of the 9 tracks – bass, guitar, brass, drums, keyboards has little variation, and the structure of the pieces felt rather convoluted at times until the solos kicked in. The ensemble in general lacked a certain spark, incited when the members click perfectly together on a personal and musical level. Rather, I heard several talented musicians playing different instruments at the same time. Perhaps on the next CD Moore can experiment with his setup through utilizing a smaller group of musicians or varying the instrumentation on more tracks.
Moore’s arrangement of GOING TO CALIFORNIA was beautiful, providing a welcome respite from the dark, underground atmosphere of the earlier tracks. Most worthy of note was his jazzed-up arrangement of DUST IN THE WIND, to be avoided by any of you Kansas purists out there. I, on the other hand, highly enjoyed the brisk, sunny-side-up mood.
These shortcomings did little to detract from my coffee and Nutella morning ritual, however. I indeed look forward to and hope to hear more of this bassist’s creations.
- Published on
Inside Savannah , November 2000
Review by Jeff McDermott
Review by Jeff McDermott
What does a bassist do when he’s leading the session? Stay in the rhythm section and you’re too subdued. Work the front of the arrangement and you’re showboating. Moore, a former member of Col. Bruce Hampton‘s groups the Fiji Mariners and Planet Zambee tries to ride the fence on his second solo CD. It’s mostly a mainstream jazz effort, showing some tasteful interplay with bass and brass on cuts like DATZ IT. Things dangerously approach fusion when guests like guitarist Jimmy Herring does the yank-me-crank-me on ASHES TO ASHES (not the Bowie song). Fans of Joseph’s long-strange-trip workouts with the Col. might find this a nice CD to play during dinner.
- Published on
Bassically.net, October 2000
Review by Cliff Engel
Review by Cliff Engel
Joseph Patrick Moore, former Col. Bruce Hampton bassist, released SOULCLOUD, his second solo instrumental jazz cd on October 10, 2000. Soulcloud is the follow-up effort to Moore’s 1996 independently released debut, NEVER NEVER LAND. As a freelance bassist, Moore has displayed the diversity of his musical talents in a wide array of musical genres including various form of jazz, rock, and blues music to name just a few. On SoulCloud Moore continues to demonstrate his versatility in a number of group settings including solo, duo, trio, and full blown ensemble settings. Moore, a multi-instrumentalist, switches seemingly effortlessly between fretted and fretless electric and upright basses.
Right from its onset you’ll notice that SoulCloud is an extremely well produced offering featuring Moore’s bass talents well in front of the mix (the way recordings ought to be). On a number of the tunes I detected the funky vibes of the Col. Bruce Hampton sound which I’m certain Moore picked up during the time he spent as a member of Hampton’s own Fiji Mariners and Planet Zambee ensembles. For those of you not familiar with the Col., it was he that helped launch the career of the now renowned bass artist, Oteil Burbridge. Also those of you well-versed with the Hampton library should immediately recognize the sounds of another Hampton sideman, guitarist Jimmy Herring, who appears as one of the many featured guest performers on SoulCloud.
Moore opens SoulCloud with a tight horn arrangement on DATZ IT (my favorite piece) and reveals his impeccable technique on acoustic and electric basses. Moore then presents us with the first of five original compositions with the fretless sounds of ASHES TO ASHES. Besides the phat funk grooves which Moore proves he can undoubtedly handle with ease, Moore takes center stage for a brief moment to exhibit his tasty solo slap chops on BIG BUTT BASS (very impressive indeed) before neatly sequeing into the album’s title track. Moore shifts to a trio format of electric bass, drums and sitar on PAUSE #3, an interesting piece dedicated to the late great Tony Williams. Next Moore offers you the listener the funky sounds of the very hip MUMPHIS COSANOSTRA. Then Moore continues to expand upon his deep-in-the-pocket bassmanship within the soulful sounds of COSMIC DANCE, another Moore original composition. Finally, Moore rounds out SoulCloud with two cover tunes, Led Zeppelin’s GOING TO CALIFORNIA is a brilliant duo arrrangement featuring the unlikely combination of electric bass and soprano saxophone. However, this is primarily a solo bass arrangement consisting of arpeggiated melodic, harmonic, and chordal content. I like how Moore tints the color of this piece with the short sax section that gracefully weaves in and out of the bass content. Moore then presents the listener with a jazzed up version of DUST IN THE WIND that highlights Moore’s upright skills during the outro solo. For those of you that discover the disc’s hidden track, you’ll hear the eerie harmonic-laden sound of ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER TIME. A solo bass piece recorded on a rainy afternoon in Memphis, Tennessee back in 1994.
Bottom Line: If you have never heard the talent of Joseph Patrick Moore, it is just a matter of time before you will.
Right from its onset you’ll notice that SoulCloud is an extremely well produced offering featuring Moore’s bass talents well in front of the mix (the way recordings ought to be). On a number of the tunes I detected the funky vibes of the Col. Bruce Hampton sound which I’m certain Moore picked up during the time he spent as a member of Hampton’s own Fiji Mariners and Planet Zambee ensembles. For those of you not familiar with the Col., it was he that helped launch the career of the now renowned bass artist, Oteil Burbridge. Also those of you well-versed with the Hampton library should immediately recognize the sounds of another Hampton sideman, guitarist Jimmy Herring, who appears as one of the many featured guest performers on SoulCloud.
Moore opens SoulCloud with a tight horn arrangement on DATZ IT (my favorite piece) and reveals his impeccable technique on acoustic and electric basses. Moore then presents us with the first of five original compositions with the fretless sounds of ASHES TO ASHES. Besides the phat funk grooves which Moore proves he can undoubtedly handle with ease, Moore takes center stage for a brief moment to exhibit his tasty solo slap chops on BIG BUTT BASS (very impressive indeed) before neatly sequeing into the album’s title track. Moore shifts to a trio format of electric bass, drums and sitar on PAUSE #3, an interesting piece dedicated to the late great Tony Williams. Next Moore offers you the listener the funky sounds of the very hip MUMPHIS COSANOSTRA. Then Moore continues to expand upon his deep-in-the-pocket bassmanship within the soulful sounds of COSMIC DANCE, another Moore original composition. Finally, Moore rounds out SoulCloud with two cover tunes, Led Zeppelin’s GOING TO CALIFORNIA is a brilliant duo arrrangement featuring the unlikely combination of electric bass and soprano saxophone. However, this is primarily a solo bass arrangement consisting of arpeggiated melodic, harmonic, and chordal content. I like how Moore tints the color of this piece with the short sax section that gracefully weaves in and out of the bass content. Moore then presents the listener with a jazzed up version of DUST IN THE WIND that highlights Moore’s upright skills during the outro solo. For those of you that discover the disc’s hidden track, you’ll hear the eerie harmonic-laden sound of ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER TIME. A solo bass piece recorded on a rainy afternoon in Memphis, Tennessee back in 1994.
Bottom Line: If you have never heard the talent of Joseph Patrick Moore, it is just a matter of time before you will.
- Published on
INSTRUMENTS: Custom Pedulla 5 string electric bass, fretless fender urge bass, kohler upright bass
This fusionesque inde solo project is a significant offering both as a showcase of Moore’s talent as player and producer and for its tasteful multi-flavored musicality. Never never Land features a nice balance of front-and-center bass work and deep, laid-back, in-the-pocket grooves, with each song as different as the many voices JPM coaxes from his instruments.
This fusionesque inde solo project is a significant offering both as a showcase of Moore’s talent as player and producer and for its tasteful multi-flavored musicality. Never never Land features a nice balance of front-and-center bass work and deep, laid-back, in-the-pocket grooves, with each song as different as the many voices JPM coaxes from his instruments.
- Published on
Bass Frontiers Magazine April/March 1997
Vol. #4/Number 2, page 55
Review by Jim Hyatt
Vol. #4/Number 2, page 55
Review by Jim Hyatt
I really like Joseph Patrick Moore’s new CD release. Joseph is a multi-faceted bassist who is equally skilled on fretted fretless and upright basses. His compositions are mature and seasoned nicely with dashes of originality and freshness. My only hope is that he gets signed to a label that can give him widespread distribution.
Good job Mr. Moore!
Review by Jim Hyatt
Good job Mr. Moore!
Review by Jim Hyatt
- Published on
Former Knoxvillian Joseph Patrick Moore has taken his funky bass to the wilds of Memphis. The bassist’s new disc, NEVER NEVER LAND is a likable collection of old fashioned funk and jazz fusion. The disc also features some of the cream of the Memphis Jazz scene. Cool tunes, including INTUITION and CORNER OF THE WORLD, are easy to listen to but are an edge above much of the lite jazz on the market. Moore and the band play with thought and feeling, and every now and then toss in a hot surprise. Some of the best cuts are filled with nice brass work, and soprano saxophonist Jim Spake often stands out in the talented group.
The disc may be hard to find, but its worth searching for.
The disc may be hard to find, but its worth searching for.
- Published on
Independent Memphis Music Magazine, Winter 96/97
vol.1/number 3
Review by Scott Bojko
vol.1/number 3
Review by Scott Bojko
Having seen bassist Joey Moore perform with local jazz saxophonist Carl Wolfe, as well as with a spare trio, I was curious about why he risked sounding pretentious by affecting Joseph Patrick Moore for his album, Never Never Land. The music explains: Joey Moore is the competent young sideman, Joseph Patrick Moore is the mature jazz artist, composer, and leader-no pretense. Moore’s Jazz is contemporary, with flavorings from cool to eclectic funk to nature sounds. But let labels neither attract nor deter – just listen to the soundscapes that Moore creates. Eavesdrop on a conversation as trumpet, sax, clarinet, piano, and B3 organ trade licks on SEX IN SPACE. Let BRAVE UP ride you in an agile sports car, with responsive shifts, straight-and-turns, ups-and-downs. Experience a mist, mystical rainforest in the title track. Ponder life while strolling cosmopolitan parks and streets in some CORNER OF THE WORLD. Or heck, just mellow out on the music.
Moore produced, and composed or arranged, the entire album. In addition to the bass gamut, he performs on a slew of instruments. MOMENT TO MOMENT credits Moore on everything: 5string electric and distorted fretless bass, intro voice, drum design and fills, piano, triangles, bells, shakers, strings, harp, horns. Busy guy. Beyond conventional winds, keys and drums, Moore uses all sorts of auxiliary percussion, electronics, and effects, to add intriguint accents or to weave textures under and around melodies. He gets help from two dozen featured players, including Carl Wolfe, Harmonica cat Pete Peterson, and Posey Hedges, who co-produced. This album includes two brief dedications to jazz icons which seem to say, thanks for your inspiration, hope you like how I’ve made it my own thing. the first PAUSE honors Miles Davis, who would scowl appreciatively at Moore’s fusion of turntable scratching with cool muted trumpet and funky bass, ending with a racing tempo transition, the kind Miles could propel telepathically in his 60’s quintet. In PAUSE 2 for Jaco Pastorius, the solo Moore invokes the late bassist’s blurry, fretless slurs, harmonics, and chording. Another homage is Moore’s slick, all-bass rendition of Coltrane‘s GIANT STEPS, employing upright, distorted fretless and 5 string electric.
NNL is an impressive achievement. Listen. Appreciate how the jazz mosaic transforms as dynamic sound images, or just funks around. You get the feeling tthat Moore has lots of experimental and improvisational inventions percolating. Under any moniker, let’s hear more Moore.
Moore produced, and composed or arranged, the entire album. In addition to the bass gamut, he performs on a slew of instruments. MOMENT TO MOMENT credits Moore on everything: 5string electric and distorted fretless bass, intro voice, drum design and fills, piano, triangles, bells, shakers, strings, harp, horns. Busy guy. Beyond conventional winds, keys and drums, Moore uses all sorts of auxiliary percussion, electronics, and effects, to add intriguint accents or to weave textures under and around melodies. He gets help from two dozen featured players, including Carl Wolfe, Harmonica cat Pete Peterson, and Posey Hedges, who co-produced. This album includes two brief dedications to jazz icons which seem to say, thanks for your inspiration, hope you like how I’ve made it my own thing. the first PAUSE honors Miles Davis, who would scowl appreciatively at Moore’s fusion of turntable scratching with cool muted trumpet and funky bass, ending with a racing tempo transition, the kind Miles could propel telepathically in his 60’s quintet. In PAUSE 2 for Jaco Pastorius, the solo Moore invokes the late bassist’s blurry, fretless slurs, harmonics, and chording. Another homage is Moore’s slick, all-bass rendition of Coltrane‘s GIANT STEPS, employing upright, distorted fretless and 5 string electric.
NNL is an impressive achievement. Listen. Appreciate how the jazz mosaic transforms as dynamic sound images, or just funks around. You get the feeling tthat Moore has lots of experimental and improvisational inventions percolating. Under any moniker, let’s hear more Moore.
- Published on
Received a very interesting album by bassist Joseph Patrick Moore, whose Never Never Land contains choice and thoughtful cuts that cover a wide variety of jazz idioms. Jazz/NAC formats will find a variety of tunes to bring to listeners, including UP THE STAIRS, CORNER OF THE WORLD, SEX IN SPACE and the title cut. And those are just the start…
- Published on
The Commercial Appeal, September 28th, 1996
Review by Bill Ellis
Memphis, TN
The Commercial Appeal
Review by Bill Ellis
Memphis, TN
The Commercial Appeal
If ever a case could be made for an ongoing jazz scene in Memphis, Moore’s disc is it. The bass player’s hand-picked ensemble is a roll call of the best of the best, including Jim Spake, Carl Wolfe, trumpeters Scott Thompson and Bill Mobley and clarinetist Lannie McMillian. Heard as well is Hammond B-3 organ phenom Charlie Wood and DDT Big Band singer Kelly Hurt, who adds a silky scat to one tune.
That Moore could gather such esteemed talent for his self-produced disc speaks volumes of the jazz bassman’s talents. Moore, who has been featured in notable guitar magazines, plays around town these days with the Memphis Groovetet. His funky bass lines will bring to mind Stanley Clarke and Jaco Pastorius, which is not bad company. He even does an all-bass arrangement of Coltrane‘s Giant Steps that makes such recent bass arranged efforts by Rob Wasserman puerile in comparison.
Full of melodic invention and deft charts, Moore’s own compositions are much more than excuses to jam (something Pastorius wasn’t always sensitive to). Moore’s locally made NNL can hold its own with any national contemporary jazz record on the market today and deserves major label distribution.
That Moore could gather such esteemed talent for his self-produced disc speaks volumes of the jazz bassman’s talents. Moore, who has been featured in notable guitar magazines, plays around town these days with the Memphis Groovetet. His funky bass lines will bring to mind Stanley Clarke and Jaco Pastorius, which is not bad company. He even does an all-bass arrangement of Coltrane‘s Giant Steps that makes such recent bass arranged efforts by Rob Wasserman puerile in comparison.
Full of melodic invention and deft charts, Moore’s own compositions are much more than excuses to jam (something Pastorius wasn’t always sensitive to). Moore’s locally made NNL can hold its own with any national contemporary jazz record on the market today and deserves major label distribution.