Background
Moore was born and raised in Eureka, California, the son of a semi-professional musician.
Moore was born and raised in Eureka, California, the son of a semi-professional musician.
He studied music at Humboldt State and in 1977 graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Jaki Byard and Gunther Schuller, and was a classmate of Marty Ehrlich"son
Moore played in a wide variety of musical contexts - especially those in support of theatre and dance groups. He remains active in International Center of Photography to this day. Aside from International Center of Photography, Moore is perhaps best known as one-third of the Clusone Trio (aka Trio Clusone and Clusone 3), along with cellist Ernst Reijseger and drummer Han Bennink.
Originally meant only to play a single date at a festival in Clusone, Italy, the trio toured irregularly for several years and recorded six CDs, including one of freely-interpreted Irving Berlin compositions.
Moore"s first recording as a leader was in 1992 but it was with 1994"s Chicoutimi that he began to earn serious recognition as a composer. The drummerless trio on this Civil Defense (Fred Hersch, piano, and Mark Helias, bass) was inspired by the duo recordings of Lee Konitz and Gil Evans, and recalls in places the legendary Jimmy Giuffre trios of the early 1960s.
Moore continues to play in a very wide variety of musical contexts. Another group in which he plays - Jewels and Binoculars, a collective trio with bassist Lindsey Horner and drummer Michael Vatcher - is devoted to interpretations of Bob Dylan songs.
In 1991, he founded Ramboy records to document his music
The label had 22 releases as of August 2006. Moore started his Jazz Quintet in 2005. In 2013 he has performed with InstanPool, a group of international musicians making improved music, and occasionally playing a composition.
InstanPool is Michael Moore & Mark Alban Lotz – winds, Korhan Erel & Robert van Heumen – laptops, Sevket Akinci & Giray Güral - guitars, electronics.
Some members are also in Islak_Köpek.
By 1982 he was a regular member of Misha Mengelberg"s Instant Composers Pool and had relocated to Amsterdam. He also was member of Georg Gräwes Grubenklang Orchester.