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Words by: Jamie Dewaele | Images
by: Brigitte Bard
Stanton Moore Trio with Anders Osborne :: 05.06.10 :: The Mint :: Los Angeles,
CA
 Stanton Moore Trio :: 05.06 :: S.F. |
Funk is a genre of music that emphasizes the 'down' or 'off' beat. It is usually played with the expressed purpose of
inciting the audience to get up and dance. Music legends like James Brown, Little Richard, George Clinton, and the
Funky Meters are credited with creating 'funky' music. Today there is a rich tradition of funk carried on by performers
such as Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, the Greyboy Allstars, and Soulive. Galactic is one funk band that has been
playing for nearly 15 years. One of Galactic's founding members, drummer Stanton Moore, is currently touring
with his trio in support of their new album, Groove Alchemy (released April 13 on Telarc). On this
album, Stanton Moore (flanked by Robert Walter on keys and Will Bernard on guitar) explores the roots of funk drumming to provide a blueprint for
those drummers out there that would like to grasp the art of funk drumming. In fact, Stanton released a DVD and
wrote a book that accompanies the album.
Stanton was born in New Orleans and attended Loyola University, where he was awarded a BA in music and business.
Stanton remained in New Orleans where he learned from and was influenced by musicians such as Dr. John, Professor
Longhair, and The Meters. In 1996 he helped found Galactic, recently labeled in David Simon's new show
Treme as "a white version of The Meters." Stanton's list of collaborators reads like a who's who of
improvisational musicians: John Scofield, Chris Wood, Charlie Hunter, Skerik, Donald Harrison, Dr. Lonnie Smith and
Marco Benevento, just to name a few. Two musicians that he has teamed up with more recently to form his trio are
Robert Walter and Will Bernard. Walter is easily one of the most talented jazz-funk keyboardists around. Walter grew
up in San Diego, where he attended the School of Creative and Performing Arts. It was in San Diego that he helped
to found the legendary jazz-funk revival group, the Greyboy Allstars. After touring extensively and establishing
himself with the Allstars, Walter founded the 20th Congress. Since then, he has played with such notable musicians
as Melvin Sparks, Reuben Wilson, Mike Clark, and Steve Kimock.
 Anders Osborne :: 05.06 :: S.F. |
Berkley native Will Bernard is a fantastic guitarist who straddles many different genres. He has been involved with
everything from jazz to funk to world music to hip-hop and beyond. Bernard has played in many different bands,
including Motherbug, Frequinox, and the Will Bernard Trio. He is a Grammy-nominated guitarist whose style
compares favorably to that of the legendary Grant Green. He has collaborated with such amazing musicians as Dr.
Lonnie Smith, Charlie Hunter, Zigaboo Modeliste and John Medeski.
At The Mint, these three talented
musicians began their tour as the Stanton Moore Trio with very special guest, singer-songwriter Anders Osborne on guitar and
vocals.
The Mint was absolutely packed. In fact, there was a line of about 30 people outside hoping for a chance to get in
and see the show. The Trio took the stage at 10:15 p.m. and Stanton announced that they would play a couple of
tunes as the Trio, then bring out Osborne for the rest of the first set, and then the second set would be all Trio.
Right from note one of the opener "Pie-Eyed Manc," the crowd got to dancing and ate up every note of music that
came off that stage. They played three songs as the Trio before Osborne came out. Anders Osborne is a guitar
player with a very southern-fried style, and he absolutely shreds on the guitar. In fact, he turned the Trio into a
southern rock band for the next six songs. For the most part, his songs were very high energy, prompting Stanton
to leap off his stool to bang on his cymbals and bass drum. This Trio is so much fun to watch because of the
enthusiasm coming from Stanton Moore and Walter's ability to play bass notes and organ notes at the same time.
After a 30-minute breather, the second set began and there was a lot more room in The Mint. They opened the set
with a tune off Groove Alchemy called "Squash Blossom," which contained some really good interplay
between the three musicians. This tune showcased the fact that they have been playing together as a trio for a long
time.
The highlight of the second set and perhaps the entire evening, was a Stanton original called "Sprung Monkey"
featuring Ephraim Owens on trumpet and Shelley Carrol on saxophone that clocked in at 12
minutes! Next was a James Booker tune called "Keep On Gwine" that featured Bernard using his slide skills. This
tune was followed by a Galactic original called "Who Took the Happiness Away?" that included a devastating guitar
solo by Bernard. They closed the set and the evening with a song called "Late Night at the Maple Leaf" that sent the
crowd out into the streets of L.A. in high spirits.
This show was a lot of fun and the sold out crowd danced for the duration. Which was no surprise because the type
of music these three guys play when they're together makes it impossible to keep one's feet still.
Stanton Moore Trio Tour
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