ARTIST:.......Moore Brew
TITLE:........Zonky
LABEL:........Storyville
GENRE:........Jazz
BITRATE:......VBRkbps / 44,1Khz / Joint-Stereo
SOURCE:.......CDDA
TRACKS:.......07
SIZE:.........44,5 MB
RELEASE YEAR: 2005
RIP DATE:.....Aug-23-2005
T R A C K L I S T
--------------------
01. Genes Blues 15:57
02. Introduction 00:17
03. I Should Care 10:34
04. Introduction 00:10
05. Donna Lee 13:41
06. Introduction 00:15
07. Zonky 07:48
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Total 48:42 min
R E L E A S E N O T E S
-------------------------
In jazz, addiction ainÆt fiction. Saddled with a poetically accurate
sobriquet, Brew Moore belongs to that sad-eyed psychological
subdivision- the dipsomaniacs. Like Zoot Sims, Lin Halliday and a
number of others, his bouts with the bottle bookended spates of
brilliance. Sims never succumbed fully, aging gracefully like the
fine libations he so loved. Moore wasnÆt so resilient, his horn
prematurely silenced by a drunken spill down some stairs in the
summer of Æ73. The record library left behind is scant. AMG lists a
mere nine albums to his name over a career that spanned several
decades. Sideman appearances maybe double that figure.
Moore spent his final years in Europe, gigging periodically at the
Montmarte in Copenhagen and mustering various attempts at a comeback.
Steeplechase acquired the rights to many of the radio airshots
recorded at the club during this time frame. This new offering joins
two previous ones from roughly a year earlier in spotlighting the
saxophonistÆs mid-60s stand at the club. Kenny DrewÆs trio, the
regular house rhythm section at the Montmarte, provides able-bodied
support. Niels-Henning ╪rsted Pedersen handles bass duties and Makaya
Ntshoko bangs the cans in regular drummer Alex RielÆs stead.
Moore sounds only mildly zonked, the spirits sipped prior to the set
accentuating rather debilitating his powers. Spoken introductions
serve as the bread to the meat of four long cuts. These verbal
prefaces fare better than the band sonically, but fidelity is still
passable and the easy banter finds Moore in an amiable, dry-witted
mood. The set opens with the extended extemporaneous warm-up ôGeneÆs
Blues.ö Moore strolls through an abundance of choruses, occupying the
first seven of sixteen languorous minutes with one curlicued phrase
after another and leaning heavily on Lestorian roots. As the
improvisation progresses his inflection hardens with the stain of an
underlying wail until it almost seems as if a different horn player
has usurped the stage. Pedersen anchors the action with superb
harmonic aplomb. His switch to the foreground after a nimble turn
from Drew delivers the first of several solos. ItÆs these
callus-abrading inventions that are among the true hidden troves on
many of these Danmarks Radio broadcast tapes.
Also on the bill: a billowy reading of ôI Should Careö, a romping
rundown BirdÆs ôDonna Leeö and the colloquially-christened title cut
in incomplete form (product of a probable faulty tape splice). Moore
attunes particularly well to the ballad feature, playing plushly
piquant in the first half, pillow soft in the second. Combined he
achieves a compelling intimacy with the melody. With a mere five
years remaining on his mortal cabaret card, Moore settled back into
his usual routine, hooch holding sway until the bitter end. His was
an improvisatory light that thanks to the numbing effects of
inebriants only shone beyond an average wattage intermittently. This
was one such fateful occasion. Thanks are due Steeplechase for
financing its circulation.
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