Ralph Moore

Biography

Ralph Moore was born in London, England. He showed no particular musical interest until his mother bought him a trumpet when he was 13. Moore studied with Alan Briggs, a local musician, in Brixton, and was soon sitting in with pub bands. Briggs had a tenor sax and Moore fell in love with the look of the instrument and soon made the switch.

In 1972 he moved to California to live with his American father, and graduated from Santa Maria High School where he played in the jazz orchestra and collected several music awards. In 1975 he enrolled at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied with saxophonist Andy McGhee. Three years later he received the Lenny Johnson Memorial Award for outstanding musicianship.

He began his professional career with a tour of Scandinavia and later joined Frank Quintero for recording and a tour of South America. He moved to New York City in 1981 and within two months had joined the Horace Silver Quintet for an association that lasted four years and included tours of Europe and Japan. Moore has worked with Roy Haynes, Charles Mingus Dynasty, and Freddie Hubbard.

He has recorded with guitarist Kevin Eubanks, pianist Bill Mays, trumpeters Valery Ponomarev, Freddie Hubbard, and Roy Hargrove, Horace Silver, and with trombonist Jimmy Knepper on Dream Dancing. He is also featured on the Brian Lynch Sextet; and was a member of J.J. Johnson's quintet in the early 90's. Moore was featured on the 1991 Concord Jazz album, The Ray Brown Trio with Ralph Moore.

As leader

As sideman

With Kenny Barron

With Billy Hart

With Freddie Hubbard

With Jimmy Knepper

With Oscar Peterson

WIth Superblue

With Cedar Walton