Eddie Moore and The Outer Circle “Passing By”

Once upon a time in Houston, there was this production duo called Neon Collars that later mutated into a full fledged band. They were pretty sweet, but they broke up much to many in Houston’s dismay.

After the break up of Neon Collars, I wasn’t in constant contact with many of the group's members for quite some time, occasionally running into them in person (e.g. on the streets of Austin during SXSW) or on Facebook Chat.

One afternoon in Late August or early October, Kay called me on the phone to hip me to what Eddie, the band’s live keyboardist, had been up to. Avoiding extinguished flames and rising phoenix metaphors, most of the members of the group went on their separate paths continuing to do music and some just living their lives to the fullest. Eddie Moore ended up enrolling in a Graduate Level Jazz Studies program at University of Missouri in Kansas City and focused on further developing his chops on keys. The results of the study and training and fellowship with other musicians is evident; the music potent.

Continuing the tradition of other great young and contemporary Houston-bred jazz pianists like Jason Moran and Robert Glasper, Eddie Moore, along with his Kansas City based quartet The Outer Circle, is dropping an EP with Rappers I Know in early 2013 titled The Freedom of Expression.

Here, you can stream the first song off the 8 song EP, “Passing By”.