Stanton Moore’s 2002 offering Flyin’ the Koop was zany fun with serious craftsmanship, a minor classic of the acid-jazz idiom. After that, he settled into a more established strategy with a drums / B-3 / guitar trio featuring Robert Walter and Will Bernard.
That’s the lineup Moore employed for the third record in a row on Groove Alchemy, which arrived on April 13, 2010. It certainly worked before, and Stanton clearly saw no need to tamper with the formula.
Still, there’s something about this album that set it apart from predecessors like 2008’s Emphasis! (On Parenthesis). The grease factor was pushed even further out, resulting in a sound that can sometimes be mistaken – in a good way – for an early Meters LP.
“Squash Blossom” immediately set a organ-heavy Big Easy funk tone for most of Groove Alchemy. Once again, Stanton Moore doesn’t solo, but his breaks are so lethal that he doesn’t need to. Walter’s big B-3 sound filled up most of the melodic space, acting as a hybrid between Big John Patton and Rod Argent. Bernard’s unique blues-based style fit right in, too.
And just when the songs began to sound a little too much alike, Walter switched to piano and did a credible ‘Fess impersonation of the NOLA-styled blues of “Keep On Gwine.” “Up to Here” went for blues-rock grit. Then Stanton Moore uncorked his big surprise at the end of Groove Alchemy: a doleful but resolute, gospel-tinged version of George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”
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