Cocktail Conversation: David Moore

David, a local composer and musician whom I've written about previously, is a regular drinking companion of mine, so it wasn't much of a stretch to have him meet me out at Barbes this past Sunday to chat about his music. At one point, looking at my scribble-filled piece of leftover Carnegie program, he said: "This is probably the strangest interview I've ever given." Nice.

On Composing: "I write what I want to hear. Sometimes, something
will hit me in the middle of the night, and I'll just crawl out of bed
and start writing. And, once I start writing, I'm just Gone. My rule
is: if it takes longer than 48 hours to get down, it's no good anymore. It
needs to come out naturally. And, I can't write something and not have
it played within a month."

On Day Jobs: "It's hard to make a living as a musician. Most of my income comes from teaching piano. I live a very frugal lifestyle: I really don't have that many expenses."

On Moving to New York: "I came here to study at the New School. I could have stayed in Kansas City and just holed up practicing in a room somewhere. And, I actually did that for two years. But, there wouldn't have been nearly as many opportunities to perform. New York is where everything is happening."

On Different Genres: "I studied Jazz with Bobby Watson at the University of Missouri/Kansas City. I like jazz, but it's hard
to find good people to play with. I grew up around bluegrass, and play banjo for fun.It's a lot more relaxing than, say, classical music."

On Writing for Musicians: "I give the players in Bing & Ruth a lot of freedom. I don't write for any specific type or number of instruments. I write out the melody, and then let them play at whatever speed they want. But, the players also understand they're working within a certain framework.

On Band Practice: "Most of rehearsal is spent saying, 'Don't do this.' I never tell them what they can do."

On the Business of Music: "I hate it, but I know it's necessary to get the music out there."

On Ambition: "I want Bing and Ruth to play big venues, absolutely. I want this to become everyone's main job. Happy musicians are good musicians."

On Death: "From a young age, I've always had a very strong sense
that I wouldn't live past 37. (Note: David is 25.) I suppose that's provided some urgency to
what I do."

On Passing the Hat: "I prefer playing on the street to performing in bars/venues. I was playing with my bluegrass band Delimart on the corner of Bedford & N. 7th in Williamsburg, and ended up making twice as much as my friend who was playing at a serious jazz club across the street."

On Different Rooms: "Music is an emotional journey that requires your complete attention. But, not so much that it's stiff. You should at least be able to have a drink."

On Seeing Other Bands: "I saw this band Freedom from Norway when I was in Kansas City a few weeks ago for the Walnut Valley Festival. They're so bad…they're Amazing."