LeRoi Moore
Birth name LeRoi Holloway Moore
Born September 7, 1961
Durham, North Carolina, U.S.
Origin Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.
Died August 19, 2008 (aged 46)
Los Angeles, California
Genres Rock, jazz
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, arranger
Instruments Saxophone, flute, penny whistle
LeRoi Holloway Moore (September 7, 1961 – August 19, 2008) was an American saxophonist. He was a founding member of the Dave Matthews Band. Moore often arranged music for the songs written by frontman Dave Matthews. Moore also co-wrote many of the band’s songs, notably “Too Much” and “Stay (Wasting Time)”.
Moore was born September 7, 1961, in Durham, North Carolina, to Roxie Holloway Moore and Albert P. Moore. Raised in Virginia, he attended college at James Madison University studying tenor saxophone, and later became an accomplished jazz musician in Charlottesville, Virginia, playing with artists such as John D’earth and Dawn Thompson. Moore began playing professionally after a brief stay in college. Moore helped found the Charlottesville Swing Orchestra (1982), and the John D’earth Quintet. The latter played at Miller’s, a Charlottesville bar, every Thursday night in the late 1980s, where Moore first met Dave Matthews in 1991. In an effort to bring in some instrumental help for some songs Matthews had written, Moore began recording songs with Matthews.
Moore played bass, baritone, tenor, alto, and soprano saxophones, as well as the flute, bass clarinet, the wooden penny whistle, and the oboe. Moore’s woodwind technician, David Saull, notes that Moore had “quite an extensive horn collection.”
In addition to performing with the Dave Matthews Band, Moore recorded a 1995 album with Thompson and Greg Howard under the name Code Magenta, combining improvised jazz grooves with spoken-word poetry. He also appeared on In November Sunlight, the 1996 debut album of Sokoband (then known as Soko).
Moore also worked as a producer with artist Samantha Farrell on her second album, Luminous.
Injury and death
Moore was injured on June 30, 2008, in an all-terrain vehicle accident on his farm outside Charlottesville, Virginia. His last live performance took place two days prior at the Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, Virginia.
Moore had been riding the ATV on his farm to check a fence when the vehicle hit a grass-covered ditch, causing the ATV to flip and partially land on Moore. He broke several ribs and punctured a lung,[10] and was hospitalized at UVA for several days. After his release, he was re-hospitalized in mid-July for complications related to the accident.
After Moore was released again from the University of Virginia Health System, he traveled to his home in Los Angeles, to start his rehabilitation program. On the morning of August 19, Moore was feeling unwell and those present could see that his lips were turning blue. He was rushed to the hospital, but died shortly thereafter. While it was widely reported that he had died from a blood clot, the coroner’s office determined his cause of death to be pneumonia.
At the 51st Grammy Awards, the first one following Moore’s death, a video tribute to musicians who had died in the previous year excluded Moore, disappointing and angering fans. Neil Portnow, president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, responded with a statement noting that Moore was included in a list of deceased musicians in the program for the event, and “unfortunately we are unable to include all of the talented and wonderful people within the allotted timeframe.” This created a tremendous outrage from the band’s fans and many other music celebrities.
Equipment
Selmer Mark VI Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone saxophones
Selmer Super Balanced Action Alto and Tenor
Buescher Copper Plated Bass Sax
Borgani Custom Soprano
Muramatsu Solid Silver flute
Abell Wood Flute
Abell Penny Whistles
Rico Jazz Select Reeds
Furman PL-Plus Power Conditioner
Peterson R450 Strobe Tuner
TC Electronic M5000
Eventide 4500 Ultra-Harmonizer
Eventide 7500 Ultra-Harmonizer
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