Numa Smith "Pee Wee" Moore (March 5, 1928 in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

– April 13, 2009) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

saxophonist.Zagier, Alan Scher. News and Observer (Durham, NC). "Jazzman doesn’t sing the blues." 2/22/1999 Moore attended Washington High School in Raleigh and the

Hampton Institute Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association af ...

in Virginia, where he switched his major from pre-med to music after one semester. He joined the Royal Hamptonians and toured on a USO circuit. While traveling back to Hampton from New York, Pee Wee, while asleep in the backseat of his friend’s car, lost his left eye in an accident. Moore played with

Lucky Millinder Lucius Venable "Lucky" Millinder (August 8, 1910 – September 28, 1966) was an American swing and rhythm-and-blues bandleader. Although he could not read or write music, did not play an instrument and rarely sang, his showmanship and musical ...

and

Louis Jordan Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as " the King of the Jukebox", he earned his high ...

in 1951, and played with R&B musicians such as

Wynonie Harris Wynonie Harris (August 24, 1915 – June 14, 1969) was an American blues shouter and rhythm-and-blues singer of upbeat songs, featuring humorous, often ribald lyrics. He had fifteen Top 10 hits between 1946 and 1952. Harris is attributed by ma ...

early in the decade. He worked with

Illinois Jacquet Jean-Baptiste "Illinois" Jacquet (October 30, 1922 – July 22, 2004) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on "Flying Home", critically recognized as the first R&B saxophone solo. Although he was a pioneer of t ...

in 1952 and James Moody in 1954-56, then played with

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

in 1957, recording with him on several albums for

Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, ...

. He also worked with

Mary Lou Williams Mary Lou Williams (born Mary Elfrieda Scruggs; May 8, 1910 – May 28, 1981) was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. She wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements and recorded more than one hundred records (in 78, 45, and ...

in 1957 and

Bill Doggett William Ballard Doggett (February 16, 1916 – November 13, 1996) was an American pianist and organist. He began his career playing swing music before transitioning into rhythm and blues. Best known for his instrumental compositions "Honky Tonk" ...

in 1965.

Barry Kernfeld Barry Dean Kernfeld (born August 11, 1950) is an American musicologist and jazz saxophonist who has researched and published extensively about the history of jazz and the biographies of its musicians. Education In 1968, Kernfeld enrolled at U ...

, "Pee Wee Moore". '' Grove Jazz'' online. Moore moved from New York back to Raleigh in the 1970s to care for his mother and recover from alcohol addiction. There, he earned a living as a handyman while playing regularly at a variety of venues in the Raleigh-Durham area. Moore has often been confused with Sol Moore, also called "Pee Wee", who also played with Dizzy Gillespie. This Pee Wee Moore played with the

Jeter-Pillars Orchestra Jeter-Pillars Orchestra was an American jazz troupe, led by altoist James Jeter and tenor-saxophonist Hayes Pillars. Career Jeter and Pillars were previously members of Alphonso Trent's big band. After that outfit split in 1933 they formed the g ...

, recorded with Floyd Ray late in the 1930s, and worked with Gillespie in the

Les Hite Les Hite (February 13, 1903 – February 6, 1962) was an American jazz bandleader. Life and career Born in DuQuoin, Illinois, United States, Hite attended the University of Illinois and played saxophone with family members in a band in the 1920s. ...

big band in 1939-42 before recording with Gilliespie's ensemble in 1946-47.

Discography

With

*''

Dizzy Gillespie at Newport ''Dizzy Gillespie at Newport'' is a 1957 live album by Dizzy Gillespie, featuring his big band, recorded at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival. Reception The AllMusic review states: "This brilliant CD captures one of the high points of Dizzy Gillespi ...

'' (Verve, 1957) *''

The Greatest Trumpet of Them All ''The Greatest Trumpet of Them All'' is an album by trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie featuring Benny Golson, recorded in 1957 and released on the Verve label.

'' (Verve, 1957) With James Moody *''

Moodsville Prestige Records is a jazz record company and label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock in New York City which issued recordings in the mainstream, bop, and cool jazz idioms. The company recorded hundreds of albums by many of the leading jazz music ...

'' (EmArcy, 1952) *'' Moody'' (Prestige, 1954) also released as ''Moody's Workshop'' *''

James Moody's Moods ''James Moody's Moods'' is an album by saxophonist James Moody composed of sessions recorded in 1954 and 1955, released on the Prestige label.Hi Fi Party ''Hi Fi Party'' is an album by saxophonist James Moody recorded in 1955 and released on the Prestige label.Wail, Moody, Wail ''Wail, Moody, Wail'' is an album by saxophonist James Moody recorded in 1955 and released on the Prestige label.Flute 'n the Blues ''Flute 'n the Blues'' is an album by saxophonist James Moody recorded in 1956 and released on the Argo label. The album was Moody's first recording featuring him on flute.

'' (Argo, 1956) *''

Moody's Mood for Love "Moody's Mood for Love" is a 1952 song by Eddie Jefferson, whose melody is derived from an improvised solo by jazz saxophonist James Moody (saxophonist), James Moody (and a brief solo in the middle by pianist Thore Swanerud) on a 1949 recording ...

'' (Argo, 1956)

References

External links

Images from the Pee Wee Moore Memorial Concert (June 2009) in Flickr

Pee Wee Moore Papers
Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Duke University {{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Pee Wee American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists 2009 deaths 1928 births 20th-century American saxophonists Jazz musicians from North Carolina 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians