Reggie Moore: The First Recipient of the ICD Cultural Ambassador Award

The ICD is proud to announce Reggie Moore as the first ever recipient of the ICD Cultural Ambassador Award for his work in the field of Music as Cultural Diplomacy.  Based in Berlin, pianist-composer-arranger Reggie Moore grew up in New York City, the son of Billy Moore, musician and arranger for the Jimmy Lunceford Orchestra.  He has toured Japan, the United States and Europe, recorded a number of albums for and worked with such renowned jazz greats as Anita O’Day, Johnny Hartmann, Betty Carter, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Gary Bartz, Woody Shaw, Benny Golson and Kenny Burrell - to name just a few.  Jazz critic Nat Hentoff described Reggie as having a “strongly propulsive beat, crispness of articulation, and emotional directness”.

Following in the footsteps of Dizzie Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington, Reggie had the honor of being an official Jazz Ambassador for the U.S. State Department, along with vocalist Joe Lee Wilson.  Together, they performed in Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt and Cyprus, thereby aiding in bringing this unique American cultural tradition to countries around the world. 

Since 1985 Reggie Moore has been living in Berlin, Germany, with his wife, jazz vocalist-composer Cornelia Moore, and their daughter Jessica. His unique art, which he himself calls “Communicable Music” and his dedicated teaching at the Jazz Institute Berlin/Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik, have been impacting the German jazz scene and students in Germany for the last 20 years.

Reggie has opened himself up to other cultures not just in his performances, but also in his musical styles. The true embodiment of the spirit behind cultural diplomacy, he is well-known for his commitment to using the power of his music to communicate with people from all over the globe, and the giving of this award was a fitting tribute to over fifty years of achievement, which the ICD hopes may long continue.

Berlin based pianist-composer-arranger Reggie Moore grew up in NYC as the son of Billy Moore, musician and arranger for the Jimmy Lunceford Orchestra. He has toured Japan, the United States and Europe, recorded two albums for Mainstream and worked with such renowned jazz greats as Anita O’Day, Johnny Hartmann, Betty Carter, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Gary Bartz, Woody Shaw, Benny Golson and Kenny Burrell - to name a few. Together with vocalist Joe Lee Wilson Reggie performed in Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt and Cyprus as Jazz Ambassador for the U.S. State Department.

“As a colourist and mood maker, Mr. Moore draws predominantly from two sources to create his particular mix of hues: classical and jazz blues. Disparate as these may seem, he fuses them with the authority of a concert pianist and all the urgency of an inveterate blues man.

Chopin is a long-time favourite; the Romantic composers, by virtue of their obsessive search for myriad shades of mood and colour, have been an indirect influence...Mr. Moore kicks off a tune with a classically based improvised prelude, establishing a kind of tension that doesn’t find release until the melody is introduced.

Tension and release, in fact, are important components of his music. Metric shifts, simple lines, juxtaposed against wildly embellished ones, unpredictable improvisatory sections and beautifully resolved cadenzas all contribute to the tension-release effect.” (Procter Lippincott, the New York Times)

Since 1985 Reggie Moore has been living in Berlin, Germany, with his wife, jazz vocalist-composer Cornelia Moore, and their daughter Jessica. His unique art, which he himself calls “Communicable Music” and his dedicated teaching at the Jazz Institute Berlin/Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik, have been impacting the German jazz scene for the last 20 years.

“With his strongly propulsive beat, crispness of articulation, and emotional directness, Reggie Moore does indeed communicate to a wide range of listeners.” (Nat Hentoff)