The Outer Circle
Kansas City, Missouri, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2016 | MAJOR | AFM
Music
Press
Continuing the tradition of other great young and contemporary Houston-bred jazz pianists like Jason Moran and Robert Glasper, Eddie Moore, along with his Kansas City based quartet The Outer Circle, is dropping an EP with Rappers I Know in early 2013 titled The Freedom of Expression. - Rappers I Know
The guitar is not the only star of the show by any means; Eddie Moore’s direction leads to a soft but strong connection between his piano, Matt Leifer’s drums, Dominique Sanders’ bass
- Indie Shuffle
His Outer Circle band, with Sanders on bass, Matt Hopper on guitar and Matt Leifer on drums, plays mainly original music, grooving like crazy but not always in 4/4 time. You can hear influences such as Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner. - Kansas City Star
"Your record has this really live, anything can happen kind of sound, but it seems to maintain this sense of drive. This sense of narrative." - Demencha.com
He began to play the piano at age 4 and quickly developed an affinity for it. In the years since, he has studied under saxophonists Bobby Watson and Horace A. Young, played alongside Logan Richardson and Maurice Brown, and served as a private piano instructor.
- InkKC
. Eddie Moore is a pianist, and he is sure to draw up some comparisons to Robert Glasper. Especially with his ability to intertwine contemporary sounds with more traditional teachings. But his new album deserves a bit of separation from Glasper, and quite frankly any other modern day jazz musician.
With his quartet, Moore’s focus falls directly on the melody. As you run through The Freedom of Expression, you will notice how accessible these tunes can come across. But for the more experiences listener, there is certainly some more complex detail to latch on to - Potholes In My Blog
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
Nominated as Best Soloist, and Jazz Band (Eddie Moore & The Outer Circle) by Pitch Magazine, while he is also the recipient of the 2016 Charlotte Street Generative Performance Arts Award. Eddie Moore is an accomplished pianist, composer, music director, educator and bandleader. Raised in Houston, Texas Moore is a lifelong musician traversing a number bands and styles before going back to school to get a master’s in jazz studies from UMKC. "The Freedom of Expression", Moore's debut album as a leader was given 3.5 stars from Downbeat jazz magazine while reaching national and international acclaim. This album incorporates elements of soul, r&b, and hip-hop into his take on contemporary jazz. "Moore's compositions exude a sophisticated soulful elegance that create a tastefully fulfilling venture into a range of dynamic pieces, with the musicianship to match." (Downbeat)
Moore's sophomore album "Live in Kansas City" which captures a significate growth of the group in a new direction, was listed as top jazz releases of 2015 by NPR. As well as, top local releases in KC by jazz blog Plastic Sax. The groups third album "Kings & Queens" which features a merited cast of KC musicians is fresh off the press under Rope-A-Dope Records. The title is a clear reference to the history of African Amercians, descendants of Kings & Queens.KCUR in Kansas City says it best - 'His inclusive approach may be anathema to hermetic members of the jazz community. But Kings & Queens, honors jazz tradition while sounding entirely contemporary because Moore and his bandmates in the Outer Circle emphasize melodic grooves rather than flamboyant soloing
Eddie’s skill and diversity have allowed him to work with artist such as Bobby Watson, Pam, Watson, Logan Richardson, Maurice Brown, Joe Chambers, Andre Hayward, Tivon Pennicott, Kemet Coleman, Various Blonde, Book Of Gaia, IamNobodi, Dominique Sanders, Roy Hargrove, Lonnie McFadden and Neon Collars which has shared the stage with Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Bilal, and the Robert Glasper Experiment.
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