Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff
Published 10:23 am, Wednesday, March 1, 2017
When Mike Moreno's long black bangs fall over his face, he looks more like a metal guitarist in his 20s, dressed in black, than a jazz player who's been gigging and recording for more than half of his 38 years.
Then his fingers get to work. While the studied technical work along the fretboard would impress metal fans, Moreno's compositions are constructed beautifully with patient and winding structure that serve a more subtle purpose than to show off his skills.
His album "Lotus" was a standout release in 2015, certainly in part for its execution: Moreno put together a top-shelf band that included the successful pianist Aaron Parks and one of the top drummers in jazz - and a fellow alumnus of the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts - Eric Harland along with bassist Doug Weiss.
But the execution also framed Moreno as a composer with great gifts. Rather than unleashing his hands on the guitar, he masterfully plays with tempo and texture.
The venerable guitarist and composer Pat Metheny says, "He is one of those guys who is a great musician who happens to play the guitar, rather than the other way around."
read more at: http://www.chron.com/entertainment/columnists/dansby/article/Mike-Moreno-finds-purpose-direction-in-jazz-10968672.php#photo-12468559
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