COOPER-MOORE
Genres: Avant-Garde Jazz, Eclectic Fusion, 21st Century Modern, Jazz Related Improv, Composition, Jazz Related Gospel • United States

Highly individualistic avant-garde jazz pianst, composer, and instrument builder. Pianist, composer, and instrument builder Cooper Moore is a highly regarded avant-garde jazz performer who emerged from the fertile New York loft scene of the 1970s. Born Gene Y. Ashton in Loudon County, Virginia in 1946, Moore (aka Cooper-Moore) began playing piano around age eight and was soon performing at church and various local functions. Inspired early on by the work of artists like Ahmad Jamal, Jaki Byard, and Charles Mingus, Moore began pursuing his interest in jazz. In 1967 he moved to Boston, where he studied at the Berklee College of Music. It was during his time in Boston that he first met saxophonist David S. Ware. Together, they formed the progressive Apogee trio and began performing around the city. By 1973, Moore and Ware had moved to New York City, where they lived in a collective house on Canal read more...