Stanton Moore is one of generations groove masters.

I listen to a lot of different music in the run of a week and it tends to vary a lot. I’ll go from the heavy, to blues, to jazz… etc.

One of my favorite artists and drummers is Stanton Moore. The man can just plain groove and I really do dig his funk driven phrases when he solos.

In my younger days playing fast and furious was the number one goal behind the kit. That’s what I considered “chops” to be. Nowadays, I see “chops” as being something much more well rounded.

To be able to play “good” feeling parts. To hold down a groove so that the singer, guitar player, keyboard player… that they all have room to breath. To support the music in whatever form you are playing. These parts can vary greatly from style to style. Think this tune (Knocker) as opposed to say, a Slayer tune. Dave Lombardo plays Slayer as well as Stanton plays this stuff. The music feels different. (And remember, music is more so to be enjoyed then to be compared competitively)

And then to be able to improvise or speak in whatever style you are playing. So you may use lightning fast licks from time to time…. but you may not and just dance around with interesting phrases and accents.

Stanton Moore is, to me, a fine example of a guy who plays his parts very well, can be playful and has a great vocabulary for the music he plays.

Enjoy!