LIVE at Piedmont Piano Company
Ralph Moore & Tamir Hendelman
Celebrating Dexter Gordon at 100
Tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore (Horace Silver, Ray Brown) and pianist Tamir Hendelman (Jeff Hamilton Trio, Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra) celebrate the centennial of the late great tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor Dexter Gordon, who was among the most influential early bebop musicians. Gordon’s studio and performance career spanned more than 40 years, and included being nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in the film Round Midnight and winning a Grammy for the soundtrack album of the same film.
$30 General Admission
We are offering a limited number of tickets to attend this performance in person. Advance purchase is required. COVID-19 SAFETY: Masking is recommended but no longer required.
RALPH MOORE
Over his career, tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore has recorded and performed with an array of jazz stars including Dizzy Gillespie, Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, Ray Brown, Roy Haynes, J.J. Johnson, Cedar Walton, Bobby Hutcherson, McCoy Tyner, RoyHargrove, Oscar Peterson, Kenny Barron among others.
Moore has a number of critically acclaimed albums out on Landmark (now 32 Jazz), Criss Cross, Concord, Reservoir, and Savoy labels.
Relocating to Los Angeles in the 90’s, he performed in the band for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno for 15 years. During this time, he has never separated from the purity of the passion that drives him every day, collaborating in a few cooperative jazz quartets and quintets. One in particular — aptly named “Escape from New York,” featuring some of his Tonight Show cohorts, drummer Marvin “Smitty” Smith and bassist Bob Hurst. “The outlet was absolutely necessary,” says Moore. The group toured around locally for five years, honing a sound and a repertoire.
With The Tonight Show with Jay Leno well behind him now, Moore is poised to get back to what is intrinsically and innately who he is – a jazz musician playing and creating the music he loves. Recent performances include concerts with drummer Willie Jones’ quartet at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and collaborations featuring artists such as Jeremy Pelt, Lewis Nash, Eric Reed, and Roy McCurdy. In 2024 Ralph Moore will embark on a quintet tour of Israel with pianist Tamir Hendelman celebrating the centennial of saxophonist Dexter Gordon.
London-born Moore has been a dedicated musician since he was a teenager, and life has paid huge dividends. Moore was born to a British show business family and although means were scarce, life was, nonetheless, culturally rich. His mother, Josephine Wood, a life long dancer, and the subject of a BBC2 Black Britain documentary, encouraged Moore creatively. High school years were spent with his American father in Santa Maria, CA and college at Berklee College of Music in Boston before making the sojourn to New York in 1981 and eventually to Los Angeles. As he looks forward to the future, Ralph Moore’s musical journey continues to evolve.
TAMIR HENDELMAN
Pianist, composer and arranger Tamir Hendelman is known for his imaginative and sensitive playing and arranging on his own trio recordings and those of the Jeff Hamilton Trio and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra since 2000-2001, as well as his work with Natalie Cole, Barbra Streisand and Roberta Gambarini, Graham Dechter, Richard Galliano, and Claudio Roditi.
As a youth, he moved from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles, winning Yamaha’s national keyboard competition, performing in Japan and the Kennedy Center, attending Tanglewood in 1998 and receiving a Bachelor of Music Composition from the Eastman School of Music in 1993 after studies with pianist/composers Clare Fischer and Billy Childs.
Tamir Hendelman premiered John Clayton’s version of Oscar Peterson’s Canadiana Suite in 2001 with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. He has performed with the Winston-Salem Symphony, Arizona MusicFest, and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras, and recently was one of several UCLA composers to be commissioned for pianist Inna Faliks’ Reimagine Project. He has been on the faculty of UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music since 2005 and has given numerous workshops in universities and music programs in the US and abroad.
His latest CD, Destinations, reached #1 in the US jazz charts, featuring music by Jobim, Jarrett, Ravel, originals, and more. His first recording, Playground, features John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton and reached the top of the charts as well. Recent recordings include Graham Dechter’s Minor Influence and Jeff Hamilton Trio’s Catch Me If You Can. tamirhendelman.com