Search - Stanton Moore :: III

It's a scooter ride!

Kirby | out east | 10/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"No surprises here! If you know the players involved, then you know what you're going to get. And what you get is just great. Fun, smile-making and a happy swell time.



For the unfamiliar, this music falls into the category of soul/groove jazz. And yes, jazz funk. While not technically astounding, it is clear that the artists create this music from a place of greater understanding - which is to say that they play what needs to be played to make successful music within the genre, not EVERYTHING they know. This is not a Mahavishnu record. It won't blow you away with a chops display. It pulverizes you with deep pockets, has great melodies, shows excellent interplay and is well-arranged. The hallmarks of great soul jazz disks. Of course that's just my take on the sound.



Also just my take... this record kills. Each player is at their best, and doing best their individual "things." And with that, it should be noted that the Nola feel is there. Robert Walter plays some perfect left hand. skerik is nicely understated. The trombone work is an excellent complement to his sax playing here. And Will Bernard is a refreshing switch from the players we are so used to hearing collaborate with Moore. While I dig Charlie Hunter as much as the next guy, Bernard brings a nice one-thing-at-a-time guitar feel to this session that the first Moore record (and subsequent Garage A Trois records) didn't have.



It is funky and tight, and we all know that when we're discussing these players, that is most likely the intent from the gitgo.



Mission Accomplished."

Great Funky Nawlins Flavor!

Kevin Currie-Knight | Newark, Delaware | 01/27/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For about a good year now I have been a big fan of Robert Walter. For about a good 3 months now, I have been a fan of Will Bernard. Ever since I got this CD a few weeks ago, I have been a fan of Stanton Moore.



This CD, despite being filed under "Stanton Moore" is a group effort. Were I to have heard it without knowing whose name was on the disc, I would have guessed Walter's. While all three have shining moments on this disc, Walter wrote the five opening tracks. And while the playing is at all times tight and sensitive (as organ trios have to be), the composition is really what makes this CD. The songs all have great grooves (even the slow ones), and hummable melodies.



Besides the composition, what is most noticeable about this disc is the production and how appropriate it is to the music here. It is very raw; actually recorded fairly live in the Preservation Jazz Hall on portable recording equipment. Moore gets a very Bonham-esque heavy sound (not to mention his boomy jazz bass-drum). Bernard's sharp sound is a good blend with Moore's (and, yes, Moore is up in the mix on all tunes, though not excessively so). Walter's B3 organ provides a soft cushion to round out the edgy production.



The other thing seperating this disc from so many other funky attempts is that these guys (and the 'guest' horn players, Skerik and Mark Mullins) really understand funk, and the New Orleans approach to it. On several of these tracks, one could close their eyes and hear the Meters, particularly Moore's 'borrowing' of several of "Zigaboo" Modeliste's drum 'tricks'. The group's groove and feel is impeccable throughout and even the slower tracks at the end of the disc are about as 'in the pocket' as one can get.



All of this is another way of saying that if you like New Orleans style funk, good, sensitive playing, and good tunes, you will want to check this CD out. Especially, i would reccomend this for folks who really like the sound of Medeski, Martin, and Wood when they choose to remain in this tonal hemisphere."

More solid Stanton

Anthony Cooper | Louisville, KY United States | 12/10/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Stanton Moore picks the Zeppelinesque title of III for his third solo CD, and he even covers a Led Zep song, "When The Levee Breaks". This CD is formatted like his others, in that it starts off funky, from "Poison Pushy" to "Maple Plank". The last three songs shift the tone, this time to a sorrowful tone with three cover songs related (indirectly) to New Orleans' Katrina disaster. The band is mostly a trio, Robert Walter plays organ and handles the bass notes (on the organ). Will Bernard plays bluesy guitar. Skerik plays sax on five of the songs. Stanton has made a lot of music with these guys in one form or the other. The CD is simply very good, it might be slightly better than "Flyin' the Koop". It's great acoustic funk, with well-written songs, starts, stops, syncopation, solos, and so forth."