by Lee Park - Extended Solo
Poughkeepsie Journal - Enjoy Section
September 28, 2001

Jesse Moore's passionate, vibrant and Neville Brother-esque sound has brought him the title of the HooDoo Man - and he's earned it.

The Kerhonkson resident's sound embodies New Orleans and its mystical and festive attitude. Moore, who will be at the Oasis Café in New Paltz tonight at 11 p.m., is a musician whose methodical experiences in the Far East brought him both high roads and pitfalls.

What exactly is Hoodoo?

"It's a centuries-old tradition of folklore and healing" he said. "New Orleans is the center of Hoodoo.

Moore's early career saw him touring with Bobby "Blue" Bland, Sam and Dave and Jimmy Oliver. He eventually ended up in Tokyo with a band called the Houserockers. That was where things started to get interesting.

"We became really big in the Far East," he said.

After the band broke up, he went to Laos during the height of the Vietnam Conflict.

"There was a club owned by this guy who was such a criminal that he was wanted by every country in the world. Laos was the last frontier for him," he said. "He was kind of crazy and he didn't like the band. He was expecting rock n' roll and we were playing R&B and he started shooting at us! I got out of there real quick."

New Orleans inspiring

After returning to Bangkok, he formed Black Fire. He also met up with a group called Prophecy and brought the two together.

Moore and Black Fire-Prophecy moved to the jungles of Malaysia, where they practiced without electricity.

Eventually, Moore returned to the States and began acting. With the help of Bonnie Raitt, he discovered the sweet sounds of New Orleans and he started writing music again.

"I wrote a bunch of different things and I got a reaction out of the New Orleans stuff. I went down there and it was over," he said. "I would love to live there, but I'd end up an 850-pound drunk."

Moore says he knows that he is very fortunate, as he's been through many challenging life experiences.

"I've been homeless and I've been strung out on drugs," he said. "I've slept on newspapers and I've slept in the Palace of the Crown Prince of Malaysia."

With those experiences, Moore is all about the Hoodoo. His joyful music contains uplifting and humorous narratives designed to excite the soul. His stage presence is dynamic, with enough flair to get the entire room moving.

"Musicians have an incredible power and magic in their hands,' said Moore. "Look what happens when people play music. When you see a group of people dancing, you see magic."

To find out what Jesse Moore is up to now, log on to www.jessemoore.com.

Lee Park is the music writer for the Poughkeepsie Journal.