Jazz guitarist Clay Moore released his first solo album in 1999, Meeting Standards. The album was recorded live and creates a fresh and intimate mood that showcases Moore's clear, crisp stylings and gives listeners a chance to appreciate his deep understanding of the jazz genre.
Meeting Standards includes Brad Evilsizer on drums, Rob Lockart on tenor sax, A.D. Mannion on drums, and Chris Maresh on bass. In a review, Austin Downtown Arts said, "All the songs (on Meeting Standards) were recorded live, giving the performances a direct and expressively intimate sound. Anyone who enjoys jazz guitar will appreciate Moore's clear, ringing tone and wonderful articulation."
In addition to his own Meeting Standards, Moore has recorded with Austin artists Will Taylor (Reel Live) and Pam Hart (May I Come In?).
Moore has played in numerous locales. He lived in Austin from 1984 to 1992, moved away for a while and came back in 1994. In Austin, he has performed with Lee Konitz, Larry Coryell, Tony Campise, Mitch Watkins, Julie Christensen, Alex Coke, Rich Harney, Elias Haslanger, Bob Meyer, James Polk, Brannen Temple, Suzi Stern, Rob Lockart, Hope Morgan, and many others.
He's been a member of saxophonist Tomas Ramirez's group for over ten years. With Ramirez's group, Moore opened for many internationally-known artists including Bill Frisell, Eric Johnson, Spyro Gyra, and Chuck Mangione. You can frequently catch him playing at the Elephant Room and in other jazz venues.
A Texan from Amarillo, Moore grew up in a family immersed in music and listened to a wide variety of live and recorded music. He took some lessons in guitar and completed his education while playing professionally in Tampa, Florida by reading everything in the Tampa libraries and stores that had the word "jazz" in the title.
His jazz education certainly paid off, and he shares much of his expertise with users of his Web site in the form of essays, links and a video of himself giving jazz and fusion guitar lessons.
