Some musicians’ creative voice is nearly synonymous with their instrument, and their music-making is laser focused on their relationship to that music: a _saxophonist,_ a _drummer,_ a _bassist._ But Jamal Moore isn’t one of those musicians. In a single performance, you might see him transition from saxophone to djembe; djembe to bells; bells back to saxophone; saxophone plugged into an electronic effects chain; and eventually the effects chain as its own instrument, a vortex of cosmic vibrations patiently sculpted by Moore at his mixer. (This segment gives a glimpse into such a transition, from our 2023 presentation at the Black Cat in D.C., part of our programming for the HR Music Festival.)
But that expansive approach doesn’t mean Moore is unfocused. On the contrary, every performance he gives demonstrates profound focus and gravity. His performances are something like a summoning, or an invocation, or an epic oration — or, more likely, some combination of all of those things. Moore is deeply engaged in the American tradition of the tradition-informed, pan-African avant-garde, having performed alongside luminaries of that music, from Roscoe Mitchell to Archie Shepp, and his music moves between different sounds from that tradition as fluidly as Moore changes instruments on the bandstand. Take a look, and a listen, and experience it for yourself. // Jamie Sandel, CapitalBop
For more multimedia messages from the D.C. jazz scene, head to capitalbop.com.
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recorded June 23, 2023 at Black Cat – Washington, D.C.
CapitalBop x Home Rule Music Festival present: Jamal Moore
Jamal Moore — saxophone, percussion, electronics
produced by: Jamie Sandel / All Power Media for CapitalBop
cameras: Jamie Sandel + Lauren Honesty
live/intake engineer: Elisa Binger, Black Cat
mix engineer + video editor: Jamie Sandel
The editing and publication of this video was supported by a grant from HumanitiesDC as part of the Humanities Grant Program, an initiative funded by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.