School of Jazz guest DJ Micah Moore found early jazz inspiration from his older sister and her friends at Timberline High School in Lacey. Now beginning his Junior year at Monroe High School, Moore is a confident tenor saxophonist with a love of jazz and many other music styles.
Moore recently began playing guitar and singing, drawing from his appreciation for country music. "Singing kind of came on its own," he said, "everyone at get-togethers would say, 'Micah, you should learn how to sing all those songs you know on guitar!' So, I did."
Moore's diverse playlist includes another singing musician, trumpeter Chet Baker. Conversely, he discovered the modern group Cortex through a sample of the band by popular rapper MF Doom. "I heard that very intense drumming," he laughed "I don't know... it just hit the spot!"
Moore also celebrated fellow saxophonists with vintage cuts from Benny Golson, Wayne Shorter, and Kenny Garrett, whom young Micah plans to see at Jazz Alley at the end of the month. Playing Garrett's song "Philly," Moore dedicated his show finale to his family on the east coast, "the music culture out there is very rich," he pointed out.
Moore has found time for diversity in the music he loves, as well as time for high school football. "With support from my band director, Miss Ray, and my football coach, we found an equal ground and - with communication - things normally go right," he chuckled.
Moore still has a couple of years of high school left, and he hopes to keep pursuing music in some way at college. "Music will be able to stay in my life forever if I just keep music in my heart."
Enjoy this great show from our October School of Jazz guest DJ, and let the music into your heart.
Which instrument do you play and why?
I play the tenor saxophone. I started playing saxophone in 5th grade when I saw my sister play guitar in a jazz band. Her best friend at the time (Seth Reynolds) played tenor sax with her at Timberline High School in Lacey, WA. This motivated me to start out on alto; then I soon switched to tenor. I've always heard the saxophone and loved the sound. I grew up listening to blues and rockabilly music, which oftentimes had a tenor saxophone in it. This instantly got me wondering what else was out there. Then I discovered jazz, and it took my playing and passion for the instrument to another level.
What’s your all-time favorite jazz piece?
"Softly As in a Morning Sunrise" as recorded by Sonny Rollins
Who is your jazz hero?
My jazz hero is Dexter Gordon. The first ever song I heard by him was his arrangement of "Tenor Madness." I would listen with my jaw on the floor. He would quote other songs in his improvisation and would create tension like no other. I soon found out I shared a birthday with him, which made me even more attached to his music. I try my hardest to emulate him (though it doesn't ever work out) but he has influenced me as a musician more than anyone else.
Why jazz?
I started listening to jazz earlier than my peers. I started playing the saxophone in 5th grade, and at the time, my sister was still in high school. All of her friends were in the jazz band, and I would seriously look up to them. Her friends Hazen Lewis, who played trumpet, and Seth Reynolds, who played sax, took me under their wings. Ironically, they were in your guy’s school of jazz in 2019 (Timberline High School).
After school they would be hanging out at my house, and they would give me lessons and show me songs and things I should learn. By 6th grade, I was first chair in the Jazz Band, and Hazen and I were regularly having jam sessions with other musicians. Around this time, he gave me a 5th edition Real Book. By then, Covid had hit and the only recourse I had was YouTube and my Real Book.
I couldn't have those jam sessions so I would play along with the real book and backing tracks. This was really all I had during quarantine and would eventually help me get out of some personal issues I dealt with. Jazz is by far my favorite genre of music ever, and I wouldn't be the same person without it.
Micah's playlist:
- "Speak No Evil" Wayne Shorter
- "Moon Dance" Ryan Devlin
- "54-46 (Was My Number)" Ernest Ranglin
- "But Not for Me" Chet Baker
- "Huit Octobre 1971" Cortex
- "Il Tempo di Morire" Doctor 3
- "Staccato Swing" Benny Golson
- "Philly" Kenny Garrett
