A call reaches Dave Moore on his cell, in the rain. “I’m going
to walk and talk with you at the same time,” he says. Walking and
talking: it’s a kind of multitasking taken for granted in this
connected, roaming age. Like many musicians in Halifax, Moore is
involved in multiple projects. He plays in his own right (a freeform
jazz drummer, percussionist and flutist), while booking and promoting
shows for various artists and, now, a monthly series at the Paragon,
which he presents under his Shades of Colour banner. Saxophonist Paul
Cram and Upstream 6.0 check in for this Sunday’s evening gig. The
series as a whole, according to Moore, will eventually incorporate funk
and world music. “We’re using jazz as a basis,” he says. The sense,
spirit and skill of improvisation will tie the whole Paragon series
together. This approach extends to a planned visual element to
accompany each show, expected to begin later this fall or next year.
“We’re going to have a painter working on the side to do a portrait of
a player or the whole band,” he says. The paintings will be auctioned
off for an as-yet-unnamed charity.
This article appears in Oct 8-14, 2009.