July 7, 2025 • 53 mins
Garfield Moore didn’t set out to become a cellist. But sometimes the right moment finds you—and for him, it happened in a school assembly, when a beloved guitar teacher revealed she was, in fact, a cellist. That quiet surprise would tune the rest of his life.
In this moving episode of Stories from Cold Springs, Moore shares a remarkable musical journey—one shaped by legacy, resilience, and joy. Born into a family of groundbreaking Black professionals—his grandfather the first African American OB-GYN professor in Chicago, his father the first Black ER director in Berkeley—Garfield grew up surrounded by excellence. But perhaps no influence was greater than his mother.
When his parents separated in the 1950s, Garfield watched his mother—once a devoted housewife—build a career from the ground up in a world that offered few opportunities to women of color. She rose to become a professor at one of California’s largest state universities, and today, a full scholarship bears her name. “Her achievement is utterly superb,” Garfield says. “That’s something she did without help.” Her determination, alongside the examples of Dr. King, Leontyne Price, and his father, instilled in him a profound sense of responsibility and purpose.
From a 1979 Carnegie Hall debut with jazz legend Sarah Vaughan (“one of the greatest music lessons I’ve ever had”) to backstage encounters with Dean Martin, Lucille Ball, and Liza Minnelli, Moore’s career is a kaleidoscope of American cultural history. Yet his story is not defined by fame, but by perseverance.
He speaks with reverence about Leontyne Price, whose performance once gave him strength during a personal collapse. “When I left that theater,” he recalls, “I decided—if she can do this, I can do something.” That connection to Mississippi would become even more meaningful years later, when Garfield and his husband moved to the tiny town of Bassfield. What some might’ve seen as a step back became a return to purpose.
Now preparing concerts that span from Bach to Rock, Moore continues to teach, practice, and dream—including his goal of becoming the first American cellist to perform all six Bach Suites in Portugal.
Whether you're here for the music, the memories, or the legacy of those who paved the way, Garfield Moore’s story reminds us that inspiration doesn’t just come from the stage—it’s passed down, lived out, and kept alive through the act of telling it.
🎧 New episodes each month, right here in Cold Springs—where stories don’t just live, they resonate.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
J Stephen Beam (00:06):
Hello everybody and welcome to Stories from Cold
Springs, a place where we talkabout creativity and
storytelling.
I'm your host, J Stephen Beam.
Today's guest is an excitingone, but before we kick it off
with him, let me take the timeto let you know that I'm a
(00:27):
novelist with two books outthere, and they can be found on
the various internet platformsand at your favorite bookstore.
Please support your localindependent bookstore.
You know these guys work on athin margin and could use your
help.
You can go to my website,jstephenbeamcom, to learn more.
Our guest today is aworld-renowned and there's no
(00:50):
hyperbole here jazz cellist.
I'm excited to have him visittoday.
He currently lives in the smalltown of Bassville, mississippi,
and we'll learn more about thatas we speak with him.
I met him recently when he andhis partner joined my wife, dawn
and me for dinner.
It was just out of the bluetype of meeting and I
(01:12):
immediately fell for him.
His name is Garfield Moore.
I love jazz, but myunderstanding is very
superficial.
I wish that weren't the case,but it is Garfield Moore,
welcome.
Garfield Moore (01:28):
Thank you, Dr.
Beam, and good morning.
I want to say at the outsetthat it is a real privilege to
be identified as a jazz artist.
The truth is that, despite thefact that my first performance
in Carnegie Hall was behind, asa sideman, with the divine Sarah
Vaughan in Billy Eckstein I'lltell a little story about that
(01:49):
Jazz is part of what I've hadthe privilege to do.
I am also a mainstream if youwill I hope that term is okay
cellist, meaning that thestandard repertoire, the
classical repertoire, and jazzare at the core.
But it is, again I say,privilege to be identified as
(02:11):
such, and I'd be happy to sharewith you some of my experiences.
In 1979, when I was in New York,a young student in New York,
and I was studying with one ofthe great American cellists, my
last master, my last mentor, thewonderful cellist Kermit Moore.
We happened to share a lastname and, because we're both
(02:33):
African American, everyonethought we were father and son.
Indeed, we were not.
Creativity and the universeprovide a happy coincidence.
Anyway, to get to the point, hehad hired a group of string
players to play behind MissVaughn, who was returning to
Carnegie Hall for the first timein five years, and he had a
(02:58):
recital in Argentina, and so hesent me in as substitute.
Well, I was so excited I didn'tknow what to do.
And let me tell you, after thechase, that final song, that
rendition of Send in the Clowns,was something that remains in
(03:18):
my memory, in my heart engravedto this day.
It was one of the greatestmusic lessons I've ever had
Beauty, freedom, imagination,spontaneity.
I was so shaken and yet shecame off stage.
Billy Eckstein was standing tothe side.
She got notoriously nervous, asmany of us do.
(03:41):
He was there for moral support.
She came off the stage and shesaw me sitting on the edge of
the bandstand and she grabbed myarm and she said Honey, thank
God, this so-and-so andso-and-so is over.
And there I was, in CarnegieHall, in front of 5,000 people,
with the divine Saravanda on myarm, and I was deeply moved.
J Stephen Beam (04:03):
Wow, deeply moving.
Tell us how you came to bethere.
Tell us where you were born andraised.
Tell us a little bit about yourfamily.
Garfield Moore (04:15):
Gladly.
I am originally from Berkeley,california, born in the hospital
of which my father years laterbecame the first African
American director of emergencyservices.
My mother, his then wife,became a professor in the state
(04:36):
university system and while themarriage did not last, the
energy, the training last.
The energy, the training, thediscipline, the encouragement
did continue.
My mother had a gorgeous voiceand yet my dad I remember when
we would visit on Sundaymornings would always sing,
(04:59):
being the good Southern Baptist,that he was the hymn, the
spiritual Were you there, andI'm really proud to tell you
that to this day.
It is often something thateither begins or closes my
programs and I played it mostrecently down at St John's
Episcopal for a wonderfulservice that I'm invited to play
(05:22):
every year Good Friday.
And when I finish thisspiritual in this beautiful pine
open sanctuary which holds 150people, you can hear the spirit
reverberating, and this comesfrom my father and I will never
forget that, buick being in thefront seat from him and his bass
(05:45):
baritone voice.
So I hope that that shares alittle something.
My mother is in parade.
Inspiration goes even fartherin the sense that there's a
connection that I have withmississippi and it's a large
part of the reason why I'm proudto say I'm here.
The great state of Mississippihath produced the artist for me
(06:10):
who is the greatest singer thathas ever walked across the stage
.
And when I mention SarahVaughan and I speak of the great
lady Leontyne Price I want youto know that the elements that I
felt that evening in CarnegieHall with Sarah Vaughan, and as
she extended into thatmagnificent upper register and
(06:32):
made Time Stop, is precisely thesame element of creativity that
I heard from the magnificentLeontyne Price the first time I
heard her sing Verdi's Leonorein Trovatore.
And what I discovered at thatpoint, early on, was that there
was much more to bring ustogether in terms of creativity,
(06:55):
in terms of music, in terms ofstyle, in terms of expression,
in terms of humanity, than thereever will be to separate us.
J Stephen Beam (07:06):
You're making my heart swell a little bit here
with the idea that music is away for us to come together.
I've always believed that youdidn't start out studying the
cello.
How did you get started inmusic?
Garfield Moore (07:24):
You kind of have to hang with me.
I had a wonderful guitarteacher and I was actually
studying all types of guitar,classical guitar.
She was a wonderful player,turns out during a student
assembly in Berkeley, california, unbeknownst to me, she was
really a cellist, and in frontof all of us she demonstrated
this instrument and that was it.
(07:45):
I love the guitar, but when sheplayed the cello and there was
one particular work by acomposer who has now come to
light as one of the greatclassics, along with Mozart and
Haydn and is also revered byjazz artists because of the time
he spent in Spain and hisinterest in flamenco early,
(08:10):
early on Luigi Boccherini.
Anyway, she played a piece byBoccherini and I heard this, I
heard these opening bars andthat was it.
My mom tried to talk me out ofit.
My dad looked at me like I wascrazy.
There was no holding me backand I'm really pleased to be
able to say to you that, despitewhatever trials or tribulations
(08:30):
or difficulties or challenges,many, many, many, many years
later, I still have that samedesire and same flame.
J Stephen Beam (08:39):
It occurs to me as a retired physician myself.
You're from a physician family.
I believe you told me that yourgrandfather was also a
physician.
Oh yes, was there any?
I don't want to use the wordpressure.
Was there any?
(GARFIELD) "Absolutely, I amnot shocked.
How did you fight that off?
Garfield Moore (09:00):
Here's the thing .
Thank you for asking thatquestion.
Now, once again, you have tohang with me.
I never met my grandfather, whowas the first man of color to be
professor of OBGYN atProvidence Hospital in Chicago,
across the Mason-Dixon linewhere we [Black people] could
practice [medicine].
He was very serious andinsisted that my dad become a
(09:27):
doctor.
A little bit more about thatlater.
But he insisted that when mymother was carrying me, even
though my parents, I can say we,because I had been conceived
were in California, and he woulddrive to California and back to
Chicago, and he properlypredicted the date of my birth.
He said now he's going to come,and I know it's a boy.
He's going to come on the 8thof August and I'm going to be
here.
I've got to go back to Chicagobecause I've got to wrap up some
(09:49):
business.
In 1952, in July, he went backto Chicago, had a heart attack
and passed away.
This is where I come by my name, Garfield.
His name was Garfield.
My father was a fabuloussurgeon.
He was an excellent, I'm surelike yourself, diagnostician.
It came to my attention that itwasn't something he really
wanted to do.
The only person who pressuredme or indicated that I should
(10:14):
follow in their footsteps reallywas his mother, my paternal
grandmother, who was quite thecharacter and personality.
J Stephen Beam (10:23):
You must have gotten some of your personality
from her, I would think.
Garfield Moore (10:26):
I think that's exactly correct.
Thank you, I take that as acompliment.
It was my maternal grandmotherand, as I said, mom, with whom I
was raised the inspiration inmusic, and I want to say that
part of my attachment to one ofthe great ladies I mentioned,
the the wonderful leontine price, and I just want to tell you
(10:48):
this we all have times in life,no matter what we decide to do,
when we don't know if we'regoing to make it.
And one of the contributions ofany great artist through sound,
through visual mediums but, butin this case, particularly
through sound is to strike achord, strike a note and reach
(11:10):
someone who's coming along tohelp them understand that they
can also use their creativeability, in this case my
creative ability, to do whatthey really love.
And this is something that MissPrice did for me on a number of
occasions.
I was at Stanford Universityreally on the verge of not
(11:31):
knowing you know why I'm in thisschool, why am I doing this?
This is not working.
There are people here I justcan't make it with and I don't
have any confidence.
And I remember, on the 23rd ofJanuary in 1973, hearing a
performance that she gave assolos with San Francisco
Symphony and the final show wesay number, just like Send in
(11:53):
the Clowns with Miss Vaughn andCarnegie Hall, was Weitet
Brachna from Strauss's failedopera, except for the last scene
, the Egyptian Helena.
The Egyptian Helena, and it isthe most sweeping, majestic,
gorgeous, soaring piece of musicever written for soprano.
And when I tell you it is true,maria Callas was a media,
(12:15):
renata Tobaldi was the mostbeautiful voice on earth,
leontyne Price is the mostbeautiful voice from heaven.
And when I tell you that sheopened up the universe, that
night, when I left that theater,I decided, though I was kind of
, I felt, I was kind ofcollapsing if she can do this, I
can do something.
(12:36):
That's how I got here with youtoday.
So I want to thank Mississippi,ms Price and you.
J Stephen Beam (12:44):
Okay, let's delve a little bit deeper in
your family history.
If you know it, a good point,if I know it.
If you know it, chicago wasobviously an important part of
your family's movements around.
You said up there, so that yourgrandfather could practice.
What southern states did yourfamily come from?
Garfield Moore (13:06):
Ah, okay, thank you.
Let me be really completelyhonest.
I have some details, somestrong feelings, but very little
information.
My father and my grandfatherand my grandmother my paternal
grandmother were settled inArkansas Now my paternal
(13:30):
grandmother the Pruitts ofGethsemane, arkansas were
longtime residents.
So far as I know, that's all Iknow.
My grandfather had come to thestate of Arkansas to begin his
practice of medicine and theymet and married and my father
(13:50):
came along.
So my dad was raised in hisearly childhood in the state of
Arkansas.
From there they went to Chicagoand I want to tell you
something else I'm really proudof.
My granddad's career as aphysician was not easy.
As he was getting started, heworked in the post office while
he was attempting to open hisfirst medical practice, and I'm
(14:14):
real proud of that.
My father bragged about hisvegetable cart in both Arkansas
and in Chicago and being able tofeed his family in part when we
were in need.
My grandmother, who was a verygrand lady, so grandmothers I'm
(14:34):
not sure she would have agreedwith that interpretation, but
they were very dedicated andhardworking people and the one
thing that they would havewanted for me, for any of us in
this generation, would be tohave received that sense of
discipline and responsibility inorder to aid and help humanity.
(14:58):
Now, that much I can tell you.
J Stephen Beam (15:01):
That's incredible, I being vaguely
aware more than vaguely aware, Imust admit I've done a lot of
reading but the migration ofblack folks up to the North goes
without saying, happened, andfor good reasons, which you've
just detailed.
Garfield Moore (15:20):
Can I share one more thing with you?
J Stephen Beam (15:21):
I wish you would share anything you want to
share.
Garfield Moore (15:24):
I do remember.
I do remember there was a pointof disillusionment.
I guess I'm about five, sixyears old and I was becoming,
certainly becoming, literate,which was encouraging to my
family.
Fortunately I was very blessedand very lucky.
But I can remember opening awhat do you call them, the
little drawers, nightstandtables, and my father kept some
(15:48):
of his correspondence and evenafter my parents had divorced it
was still there.
And I remember on onion skinpaper reading a letter of
recommendation.
This would have been around1950, the year I was born, 1952.
So the letters were old, theywere typewritten, the year I was
born, 1952, so the letters wereold, they were typewritten.
(16:09):
"Dr.
Calvin Moore Dr.
, we understand, is a candidatefor such and such and so, and
so we could recommend thiscandidate with no hesitation.
His skills, his acumen, hisabilities are absolutely
outstanding.
And then new paragraph we dohope the fact that he is colored
will not stand in the way of,and this was something that
stuck with me.
It's indelible Not to produceany rancor or any
(16:35):
dissatisfaction but to simplyunderstand the challenges that
many people from my generationand generations previous to me
faced.
And I dare say he overcame thembecause he was the first black
head of the emergency room.
(16:55):
He obviously did.
J Stephen Beam (16:56):
Yeah, he obviously did, and a lot of that
drive that he had was based onyour family and what he was
taught as a young person.
As you were Right, and there'snothing that can replace that.
It doesn't matter yourbackground, your economic
background, your socialbackground.
If you grow up poor, even as Idid, but have a mother, in my
(17:21):
case, who pushed education anddidn't allow me not to do my
homework and didn't allow me notto dream, she wanted me to
dream.
If you have that, regardless ofyour background your
grandfather's being tougher thanmine I do understand that.
(17:41):
But if there's that familydrive and that family will, then
it is amazing what can beaccomplished.
Garfield Moore (17:49):
I want to stress the importance of the point
you've just made, because onething I haven't yet to make
clear that when my parents didgo their separate ways, my mom
had to start all over again.
And her achievement is evenmore impressive.
These are the middle 50s.
This is a very distinguishedand well-educated woman of color
(18:11):
who at that time wasprofessionally unwelcome in or
on most venues.
She rose from dedicatedhousewife to having to support
two children and let me behonest and candid on her own
(18:34):
from that station to professorat what is now one of the
largest state universities inCalifornia, and I am really
proud to tell you that herachievement is utterly superb
because there is a fullscholarship in her name to this
day, and that's something shedid without help.
So watching her, watching DrKing, watching the magnificent
(18:56):
Leontyne Price and my father anda number of other examples, I
felt, and still feel, like Ihave a responsibility of other
examples, I felt, and still feel, like I have a responsibility.
J Stephen Beam (19:08):
Okay, so we have you, as a young person who had
first set for training withguitar decided to switch to
cello.
Let's move on from there.
How did your training ensue?
Where were you, and are thereany particular mentors or
teachers that really had animpact on you?
Garfield Moore (19:31):
You really know how to ask the right questions.
When I was 13, I enrolled in achamber music program at one of
the local colleges Mills Collegeand I didn't know a lot about
it, but I knew that I wasalready revering the person who
was running it, the greatEnglish cellist, Colin Hampton
(19:52):
from the Grilla Quartet.
Now he had just retired and wasenjoying himself.
He was playing very freely andopenly and demonstrating his
wonderful life of art.
You know, the Grilla Quartet,of which he was the cellist, had
been through World War II inthe Royal Air Force.
They disbanded during thatperiod and went through great
(20:15):
suffering and reunited and thencame to this country and made a
great success of it.
Colin Hampton was not only anextraordinary cellist, an
extraordinary human being.
He was a second father to meand he, while he got frustrated
with me on occasion I could bequite irascible and
(20:37):
undisciplined he was a continuedvessel of love and support and
he set an example which wasmagnificent.
And he, what he did was, afterI'd been with him, it was
announced that he'd written aconcerto for cello and small
orchestra and that I wouldpremiere it when I was 13.
(20:58):
Ah, it was an extraordinary, anextraordinary experience, and
there are a few othercoincidences that I'll share
very quickly.
At that time, little ChellisGarfield Moore was attending
Garfield Junior High in Berkeley.
We had the premiere, we didthis, I went on to high school
(21:18):
and then college and all of that.
And some years later anotheryoung person of color, Kamala
Harris, goes to the same juniorhigh school and she talks about
this in Berkeley and she speaksof her mother's triumphs and
struggles.
So there seems to be somethingin the water in Berkeley which
(21:41):
provides certainly challenge,struggle, resistance and
difficulty, but also seems to bea spot to nurture creativity,
intelligence and the ability tocontribute.
J Stephen Beam (22:03):
An opportunity.
Yes, yes, how did you get toNew York?
Garfield Moore (22:08):
Yeah, oh sorry, kind of a sinister laugh.
That's a wonderful story andthank you for asking.
Well, the truth is I had justexperienced the most difficult
year of my life.
My father passed away in 1977.
I had taken a job in the publicschool system in Oakland, which
(22:30):
was very challenging.
But there again there was ahighlight.
Dr King's widow, coretta ScottKing, was invited to give a
keynote address at thegraduation from middle school
and I got to present the choirand accompany them at that event
(22:50):
.
That was the one blue ribbontied around.
Another was completely chaoticand, shall we say, really
challenging existence for a year.
At the end of this verydifficult year I was able to get
my very first cello.
I didn't commission it, but Iadopted it as it was being made
and instruments were veryexpensive even then, and I
(23:12):
remember I managed to teach thatyear and save $4,500.
Well, I purchased the cello.
Suddenly, the Civic Light Operain San Francisco called again.
I was invited to play aproduction starring Lena Horne,
clifton Davis and JosephinePernice.
She did a version of Pal Joey.
Well, previously I played myfirst show had been one with
(23:36):
Patti LuPone, which was herfirst show on the road.
Yes, patti LuPone of Evita andTV fame.
And the conductor of that showpromised me that if he ever
could bring me to New York, hewould Well guess what happened.
I adopt the cello.
I managed to pay for it.
I'm kind of recovering fromthis crazy year.
(23:57):
The phone rings Look, if youwant the job, this is yours, if
you can square it with the union.
And at that time there was someissue.
I lived in California and theshow was to be Michael Bennett's
first production after ChorusLine, which was Ballroom,
starring Vince Gardenia andDorothy Loudon, who had played
(24:18):
Miss Haversham in Annie, theoriginal version.
Anyway, my best friend lent mehis credit card, got me a plane
ticket.
I didn't have a lot of money atthat point.
I went to New York, got on myyou know, sports jacket and went
down to meet the vice presidentat the American Federation of
Musicians Turns out Mr EV Lewis,whom I met.
He said where are you from,young man?
(24:39):
I said, sir, I am from Berkeley, california.
My mother's house is on 9thStreet.
And he looked at me.
He said you're a cellist, areyou?
I said yes, I am.
He said well, this is only atransfer of membership.
A cellist are you?
I said yes, I am.
He said well, this is only atransfer of membership, there's
no problem, and I own a house on10th street.
And he leaned across the tableand he said welcome to New York.
Well, that afternoon I went outand my head was exploding.
(25:00):
For the first time I was onfifth Avenue and I got to tell
you something.
I'm standing between the PlazaHotel and Columbus Circle.
I burst into laughter.
I had never seen so many peopleon a street in my life and I
knew this is where I belong.
And while Ballroom the show didnot run, it turned into four
(25:22):
years of Evita.
That did run and that turnedinto Yul Brynner's last run of
the King and I and Liza Minnelliand Chita Rivera in the Rink.
But there was one particularafternoon.
We're all the way up to 1985.
Now I arrived at the end of1979.
This story is very important tome.
I was leaving the matinee justfinished the cello solos, mr
(25:45):
Brynner was in his dressing room, I was on my way to rehearse at
Radio City with the greatRoberta Fleck and I come up the
stage on the Broadway theater,which now, at this point, at the
age of 29 or 30 or whatever itis, is my home and in the door
comes this incredible bob ofreddish-blonde hair and Mr
(26:08):
Brenner's dressing room was open.
I can hear him in there.
His dog runs out, steals thesandwich in my hand and I look
up and here's this beautifulBible right here.
I said good afternoon, mrsMorton.
Lucille Ball took off herglasses and said how did you
know my last name and how didyou notice me?
I was a fan of your latehusband's comedy and I said
anyone would recognize themagnificent Lucille Ball.
And she looked at me.
(26:29):
She said you have to be a Leo.
I said just like you, madam.
I went on to rehearse withBerta Flagg, play with her and
George Benson that night and Igot out in time to get to
Carnegie Hall to hear the end ofLeon Dean Price.
Now where else in the worldcould that happen?
I hope I haven't bored you, butthat's kind of my story.
J Stephen Beam (26:52):
Fascinating.
How was Lucy in person there Isshe a nice lady, open, warm.
Garfield Moore (26:59):
I can tell you this I hope a pretty intuitive
and instinctive person.
I can remember as a childthinking that as long as bear
with me Lucille Ball, joanCrawford, betty Davis, kate
Hepburn and Dick Gregory alive,the world is going to be okay.
(27:21):
I know every episode.
I hope this is okay.
I know every episode of I LoveLucy okay, and everything that I
loved and hoped was true.
When she pulled off thosesunglasses with those huge eyes
and looked at me and spoke to mewas true.
She's a great lady.
J Stephen Beam (27:41):
Also a favorite of mine.
Okay, so you're in New York,been there several years, by
this point, and done some goodwork and met some obviously
important, influential andtalented people.
Now how did you get intoforeign travel to play music?
(28:03):
I?
Garfield Moore (28:03):
really want to be open with you about that.
It did happen.
It never happened as much as Iwanted it to.
In fact, I'll tell you onefunny story when Philip Glass
was coming along he's been allthe rage for many, many years
now, but when his music wasfirst getting known, I was in a
(28:23):
recording studio downtownsomewhere and a number of the
big recording cellists were intown.
Understand me, this was bigbusiness.
Okay, you went in the recordingstudio, if you were on the list
at maybe nine o'clock in themorning, stayed till five
o'clock, you know, in theevening doing this jingle, that
jingle, this commercial, thatcommercial, this set, that set,
(28:46):
and it was a six-figure income.
All right, I was not part ofthat clan, but I did
occasionally rub elbows.
Well, I was in the room with anumber of them.
Okay, my master, who Imentioned, kermit moore was, was
was one of the kingpins in thatindustry.
He wasn't on this date.
I think this was another onewhere he sent me into subframe.
So his engineer is there andphilip glass is somewhere behind
(29:10):
the scenes.
And at the end of the day, threehours, he said, oh, is anybody
interested in a European tour?
And I was getting ready toraise my hand and all the other
cellists were like this andunfortunately I know this is
going to sound ridiculous myshyness went out at that point.
Okay, no-transcript hired me todo it and flew me down there.
(30:01):
I'd gotten a salary and I gotback and the building was on
rent strike.
I didn't have a dime, I had 102fever, but I was the happiest
cellist in the world because Iwas accomplishing my mission.
The concerts had gone well andI always believe firmly that if
you are really, really, reallystruggling and fighting for what
(30:25):
you believe in and love, whatis really creative and important
to you, the universe will lenda hand.
Well, I'm laying in bed on thefuton and we still had, you know
, phones that weren't digital.
At that point, my phone startedringing.
I answered God this is.
Morris, lovin Rat, pat Tua hasjust lost a child.
We need you.
Can you be in Chicago next week?
I said absolutely.
(30:46):
I said may I ask the what thepay is?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,two weeks of $5,000.
I said it's a frogs, bleep,bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep,
watertight.
Next thing I knew I was sittingat the ambassador hotel for the
first time in Chicago, where myfamily's from.
I got 102 fever, but I fever,but I'm having rock lobs
(31:15):
champagne and I know I can paymy rent the next month.
But I was there before anyoneelse and I got to check out the
chicago theater, which isgorgeous theater, okay, and this
is where they were going tohave the performance in chicago.
Dean martin has arrived earlyand I'm walking up the back
stairs now you, I hear abeautiful baritone voice, not
like mine, warming up.
(31:35):
And I get to the top flight andthere is Dean Martin with a
glass of scotch in his hand.
He says oh, you're the newcellist.
Hey, buddy, you cannot makethis stuff up.
J Stephen Beam (31:46):
No.
Garfield Moore (31:47):
So that was one travel, but it was to answer
your question directly.
I had a fabulous duo partnerfor 10 years in New York,
stephanie Watt.
I'm August 8th, she's August9th and we called ourselves Duo
Leo because astrologicallythat's the Leo period.
In 2002, stephanie actuallysaid listen, I've been asked to
(32:07):
play these concerts in Budapestand I'd like for the duo to go.
So we flew to Hungary andplayed a series of eight
concerts in six days, and thatis one of the blue ribbons tied
around my career.
J Stephen Beam (32:27):
As you look back over your long and lengthy and
fulfilled career in a lot ofways and I know you've already
mentioned some of these anyother particular experiences
come to mind when you're lyingin bed at night and thinking
about the past or whatever, andabout the past or whatever, and
(32:48):
oh, what a wonderful time thatwas.
Give us a couple of experiencesthat really have stuck with you
.
Garfield Moore (32:57):
My first record date.
I was invited to play before Ileft California.
This is just before everythingin my life turns around.
It's 1977, just after Imentioned, my father passed away
and I got a call to play thisrecord date and it was the great
jazz bass player Ron Carter.
(33:17):
And I got to the studio earlierand the contractor was someone
who had been very kind to me Iknew and I said are the
principals being flown in fromNew York?
Because everything was?
He said yes and I said may Iask if the principal cellist is
Kermit Moore?
And he said yes, and I said mayI ask if the principal cellist
is Kermit Moore?
And he said yes, and my soon tobe new father, an hour later,
(33:42):
walks in the studio and there heis.
I had only seen him in catalogsof solo books, columbia and
some of the other managers whenhe was traveling in Europe
playing recitals.
So I met him there and we had afantastic afternoon with Ron
Carter recording this albumPastels, and I'm sitting in the
background but I'm tickled pinkdoesn't begin to describe.
(34:02):
And the album went on to winseveral Grammys that year.
So that's one I have to tellyou.
When I met one of the.
Recently we lost a very greatcellist on the other side, lynn
Harrell name you might've heard,and I was a young fellow in an
orchestra playing trying to makesome money, you know, in New
(34:23):
York, and he came to play theVictor Herbert Cello Concerto,
okay, which was a fabulousexperience, herbert Cello
Concerto, which was a fabulousexperience, but the one that
really, really knocked me out,you know, casals is one of my
absolute idols, emanuelFeuermann, my master, kermit
Moore, but you know, I hope Ican say this, it's with so many
(34:46):
things, with the exception ofCasals, the really great ones
are the ladies, and I'm talkingabout Raya Garbosuva, we all
know today, we all rememberJacqueline Dupre and the Elgar
Concerto.
But the one for my money, whowas the absolute, under pressure
(35:06):
, the absolute finest cellistI've ever heard, was the great
Zara Nelsova, sarah Nelson, fromCanada, who was of Russian
parentage.
Anyway, this is many yearslater.
She's a mature lady and shecame with this same orchestra to
play Dvorak Concerto and I wasexcited beyond belief.
I happen to have in mycollection because I mentioned
(35:30):
my first great master, colinHampton.
He had a recording which Iadopted and then wouldn't give
back Her first solo recordingand I knew she didn't have it
(35:54):
wound up and she came out in her, you know, rehearsal garb and
she had in a her case was notparticularly elegant, but I knew
she played one of the greatStradivarius, the Marquis de
Corporon that AntoninStradivarius made in 1726.
She comes out on stage, I'mstanding.
She said oh, but I've forgottensomething.
I have to go back.
Would you hold this for me?
She hands me one of the world'sgreatest strads and all I can
(36:14):
do is cradle it.
I wouldn't dare to play it.
Besides, I didn't have a bow, Ijust had and I held this
instrument in my arms.
Anyway, she went on to playthree of the most magnificent
performances of one of the mostdifficult concertos, antonin's
Dvorak, really his second celloconcerto, the only one we people
know, the concerto in B minor.
Three nights, and the lastnight, I said.
(36:37):
I said, madame Nelsova, I don'twish to disturb you, but I have
some records for you to sign,would you mind?
I said, oh, yes, yes, yes, yes,yes, yes.
And I purposely placed thisrecording, this first solo
recording from 1952, on the box.
And she said where did you getthis?
How did you?
I said, miss Nelsova, I'm notready to part with it yet, but I
have had a cassette made andI'll have it sent round to you.
(37:00):
At the El Dorado she lived onCentral Park West and I did that
Years later, just before shepassed away, and I got wind of
it.
She was, you know, isolatedwith her family and I took this
record and it was really hardfor me to pad with, but I had it
wrapped beautifully with silkribbon and I sent it to her and
(37:20):
they said they do say I have noreal, had no real connection
with her or her family.
Please don't let memisrepresent.
But they said it was the lasttime that she sat up in bed and
smart.
Those are the things, sorts ofthings that are important to me.
J Stephen Beam (37:35):
Did you ever get to record with any?
You mentioned the Rat Pack, butany other popular music type
people.
Garfield Moore (37:43):
Let's see.
Well, if George Benson, lizaMinnelli, oh, can I tell you a
story about her as a kid.
J Stephen Beam (37:50):
Oh yeah.
Garfield Moore (37:52):
Liza Minnelli.
Oh, can I tell you a storyabout her with the kit.
Oh yeah, I don't know if youguys are old enough to remember,
but after a long career onBroadway and a Shantus here and
particularly in Europe, miss Kithad a hit single which went
wild.
I need a man.
And she did that beautifulpurse she used to do.
I used to run around thereservoir when I was a younger
(38:14):
man and when my knees were stillworking.
And one morning I'm runningaround.
I had been called for a recorddate downtown.
And I'm running around and thisIrish wolfhound followed by, I
recognize you meet, eartha Kitt.
Good morning, miss Kitt.
And she and this wolfh wolf, westart running together.
Okay, I was, you know, I waskept a respectful distance and I
(38:37):
was just.
I said I'm very happy to meetyou and I said I don't wish to
disturb you.
So no, no, fine, well, anyway,went home, change got down in
the recording studio and we goin and we lay down this track
and it has a beat as, oh, thishas got to be a disco tune.
Well, I come out and there isonce again Eartha Kitt.
(38:57):
I said, ms Kitt, didn't we meetthis morning?
She said absolutely we did.
I said I am so proud to be apart of this project.
She said, well, I just hope itworks.
Well, that was the 1982, excuseme, 1983 hit single I Need a
man.
And it went viral.
So there was George Benson,there was Sarah Vaughan I got to
(39:25):
record with.
I got to record with eventhough she wasn't Carmen McRae.
I got to record with, eventhough she wasn't Carmen McRae.
(39:53):
The artists that I work with,the one I think that I felt
particularly attached to, Iguess I would have to say, would
have been Liza Minnelli andGladys Knight.
These were two of the biggestspirits that I've ever met and
let me tell you with with gladysnight, as powerful as she still
is to this day, a lady ofbeauty, also considerably as
powerful as she sounds to thisday, you have no idea what she
sounded like live.
It was the most incrediblesound.
The other one would have been Ihope this is is a name we
remember Leslie Uggams.
(40:14):
Oh, yes, yeah, this was again.
She was a very demure andunassuming lady and when she
pulled off those sunglasses andgot center stage, the chandelier
shook.
Huge personality.
Also.
One thing I just want to goback to the Mr Bojangles and the
(40:36):
T for Two sketch that Mr SammyDavis Jr did live and in the
recording studio were amongstthe most powerful things I ever
experienced.
J Stephen Beam (40:48):
How was.
Sinatra to work with things Iever experienced.
How was Sinatra to work with?
Garfield Moore (40:52):
He was a master of a world that enthralled and
held people spellbound.
He provided he, and Mr Davisand Mr Martin provided my
(41:13):
literal existence, the salvationof it, by creating that tour.
He could hold an audience inthe palm of his hand in a way
that I have, which is reservedfor the greats.
Let's just say I will remaineternally grateful to his legacy
and memory for having providedthat opportunity.
J Stephen Beam (41:37):
What a fascinating career you had, and
it still goes on.
I don't want to imply that itdoesn't.
How did Garfield Moore fromBerkeley, Chicago, New York, end
up in small town Mississippi?
Garfield Moore (42:00):
I'm really glad you asked that question.
My then partner and now husband, a wonderful man, really
wonderful guy, william Mazzali,had spent a lot of time in
Mississippi and loved OceanSprings.
And the truth is that not solong ago, everything in my
(42:21):
career which meant so much to mecame to a screeching, and I got
to tell you.
I'm really proud to be able tosit here and say that, because I
think that we all need to beaware that all careers, all
lives may have peaks, butthey're going to have valleys
and low points too.
And this was a real low point.
But I had my partner, I had mydog, you know, I had my home,
(42:44):
and I said, you know, I just andthinking, I want to get out,
get, get out of here, there'snothing left to do.
And my best friend had saidwell, look, come on to Texas.
You know, you could alwaysteach down here and I wasn't so
sure of that Many fine artistsor many fine cellists in Texas
anyway.
And so I talked to Bill.
I said, you know, I'm, I'mreally thinking that maybe we
ought to go somewhere else.
(43:05):
He said well, how does OceanSprings sound?
And I said that's a lovely name, where he said Ocean Springs,
mississippi, and I took a moment, having never I had traveled
down South.
I had.
I had played in New Orleans, Ihad played in Houston, I had
played in Dallas, but I was 16years old at the time and the
civil rights movement had justyou know really completed its
(43:28):
apex and was really quite a nicetour for me.
I was very grateful and Ilooked at him like he had called
me a dirty name and I didn'tsay any more about it.
But I woke up the next morningand said Garfield, you're more
open than this.
Your roots are selling.
Your father is from the fieldin Arkansas.
(43:50):
So I said let's go take a lookat it.
Let's make a long story short.
Next thing, I know I'm walkingout of the airport.
Everybody is well, professorMoore, we're so glad to see you
at the car rental agency.
Everyone is really incrediblypolite.
To make an even longer storyshort, I decided I liked it.
He really wanted to be thereand in two weeks we had a home,
(44:10):
and I should also like to boastand brag that in that time since
, shall we say, april of 2018, Ihave made some of the most
important musical acquaintancesto include institutions which I
consider to be as artistic andprestigious as any excuse me
institutions which I consider tobe as artistic and prestigious
(44:31):
as any.
I'm talking about St John'sEpiscopal that has a wonderful
music series in Ocean Springs.
I'm speaking of the OrrO'Keeffe Museum in Biloxi which
Frank Gehry built.
I'm speaking of and this is myblue ribbon I will have a debut
(44:52):
next March at the Little Theaterin Laurel Mississippi, miss
Price's hometown.
So when you talk about LittleTown in Mississippi, my life's
dream is to give back toMississippi and that great lady
some of what's been given to me,and that will happen next March
(45:14):
at the Little Theater in LaurelMississippi and I'm a very
proud resident of Bassfieldincluding all 400 cows, dogs,
cats and, you know, livestock.
J Stephen Beam (45:29):
Bill must be from Mississippi if he got you
down here.
Garfield Moore (45:32):
No, bill is a Yankee from Connecticut.
You're stuck with two Yankees.
He has a wonderful familytradition and lineage from
coastal Connecticut and he's anextraordinary human being
because he devoted his life toeducation and also to seeing
(45:54):
that those who have come withchallenges mental and physical
have been protected and housedproperly on a professional basis
, and he did it with such styleand such professionalism that he
made it look easy.
J Stephen Beam (46:12):
So he got to Ocean Springs.
How?
Garfield Moore (46:15):
In a previous life he was married to a lady
and her parents lived in OceanSprings, and the wonderful
stories that I've heard abouthis then family revolve around
his in-laws, his wife's parents,ira and Annette, and he told so
many stories about them andOcean Springs and going fishing
(46:37):
with Ira and out to dinner withboth of them that I felt like I
knew the town before I ever gotthere.
J Stephen Beam (46:45):
That's where we begin to wrap up, thinking about
you and all your many wonderfulthings that you've done.
And it occurs to me, do youstill practice quite often?
Garfield Moore (47:00):
If I don't, you'll be throwing rotten
tomatoes, absolutely, absolutely.
And it doesn't get easier atthis stage.
There are some things that areeasier, there are some things
that are better.
Performing comes a little bitmore easily than it used to, but
I have to put myself throughdaily routines, if not
(47:24):
rigorously regularly.
And I'll just add this notethat not that I mean to compare
myself in any way, except that Iam playing solo concerts.
That's what I've been doing forthe past 20 years and I'm an
avid recitalist.
I'm looking so forward toplaying everything from Bach to
(47:44):
rock.
There will be Bach, there willbe Beethoven, there will be
Tango of Piazzolla and Calypso,there will be the Beatles, there
will be Roberta Flack, therewill be George Benson, there
will be and this one is reallyspecial to me a rendition of
(48:06):
Bridge Over Troubled Water ofSimon and Garfunkel.
But to answer your question, Iagain I don't mean to compare
myself with, with my absoluteidol, the great pablo casals.
At the age of 95, someone askedhim.
He said senor casals, do youstill practice?
He said yes, of course, threehours a day.
They said why?
(48:26):
At the age of 95, he said Ithink I am improving.
J Stephen Beam (48:34):
Well, I bet you are too.
So, garfield.
You've done so many things,lived a life in some ways, and
lived all over the country,played even in Europe, met some
famous people.
But is there any dreams thatyou still have out there other
(48:56):
than I know you like to teach,but any personal dreams that you
have?
Garfield Moore (49:00):
You're not only a great host, you're a mind
reader.
Yes, sir, I hope within thenext year to become the first
American cellist to play all ofsix Bach suites which Casals and
, today, yo-yo Ma havepopularized so beautifully.
(49:21):
I hope to be the first Americancellist to play all of them in
Portugal.
J Stephen Beam (49:27):
Wow, I'm speechless.
Well, I'm speechless.
My hope and prayer is that youget to do that because you
deserve it and you'll do awonderful job, I am sure.
Thank you.
(49:54):
Podcast to be about creativity,and you mentioned something
recently with some of yourstudents that helped you again
think about creativity.
Would you just share thatlittle snippet with us?
Garfield Moore (50:00):
Sure, sure, sure , I'll try to be brave.
First of all, you know, there'sa saying that necessity is the
mother of invention, thatnecessity is indeed creativity
the first time we as humansdiscovered that we could create
a flame to keep ourselves warm.
And then somebody noticed thebeautiful color in the flame and
(50:21):
made a drawing on a cave wall.
It is my avocation, my absoluteresponsibility, if I don't do
anything else, to find thosewith and in whom I can ignite
the same spirit of desire, andI've had that privilege with my
(50:42):
students.
I saw some of it yesterday.
But the most valuable thingthat I can contribute is to make
sure that a sense of humanity,through our art form, continues
to thrive.
J Stephen Beam (50:58):
And it just reminds us that one of the
things we can do in this life togive back is to share what we
know, what we've learned, withthe younger generation, and
especially the very young, whodon't have so many things
imprinted in their mind at thistime.
So I salute you for that, thankyou.
(51:20):
Thank you so much.
This has been wonderful.
Learned a lot about you.
All of it good so to ourlisteners, I certainly hope that
you've enjoyed this.
We will come out twice a monthwith the podcast starting soon,
(51:41):
and invite you to continue tofollow us.
I also remind you of my website, jstephenbeamcom.
There you can find some blogposts and some writings about
what I'm up to with my writingcareer and also how to find my
books and how to find a littlebit more about our guests on
(52:02):
this program, if you would liketo do that I had just one quick
note in tandem.
Garfield Moore (52:08):
Forgive me, I'm skating on the coattails of your
celebrity, sir, but may I alsomention Garfieldmorecom, my
website, because it'll haveannouncements about upcoming
performance and where I'mteaching, where I might be
giving a master class or aconcert.
J Stephen Beam (52:25):
Thank you for that.
It was my intention to ask youto tell us that first.
Oh, sorry, no, but I've jumpedright into mine.
I guess we're all soself-involved sometimes.
Thank you for that.
Again, thank you for the visit.
We thank Christina, who'shelped us with this recording,
(52:45):
and, as we send it forward, youwill be able to find this on
Spotify starting in June.
I assume that's where you foundit, except for some people that
I've shared it with already.
So, once again, keep lookingfor our podcast.
We look to focus on creativityin all the fields.
Let me just say, not just music, not just in writing, but in
(53:08):
things like woodworking andmetalworking, and preachers who
have to put together sermons,and on and on.
When you open your mind tocreativity, it's everywhere.
Thanks again and God bless,thank you.
©.
Transcript Emily Beynon.
Hello everybody and welcome to Stories from Cold
Springs, a place where we talkabout creativity and
storytelling.
I'm your host, J Stephen Beam.
Today's guest is an excitingone, but before we kick it off
with him, let me take the timeto let you know that I'm a
(00:27):
novelist with two books outthere, and they can be found on
the various internet platformsand at your favorite bookstore.
Please support your localindependent bookstore.
You know these guys work on athin margin and could use your
help.
You can go to my website,jstephenbeamcom, to learn more.
Our guest today is aworld-renowned and there's no
(00:50):
hyperbole here jazz cellist.
I'm excited to have him visittoday.
He currently lives in the smalltown of Bassville, mississippi,
and we'll learn more about thatas we speak with him.
I met him recently when he andhis partner joined my wife, dawn
and me for dinner.
It was just out of the bluetype of meeting and I
(01:12):
immediately fell for him.
His name is Garfield Moore.
I love jazz, but myunderstanding is very
superficial.
I wish that weren't the case,but it is Garfield Moore,
welcome.
Garfield Moore (01:28):
Thank you, Dr.
Beam, and good morning.
I want to say at the outsetthat it is a real privilege to
be identified as a jazz artist.
The truth is that, despite thefact that my first performance
in Carnegie Hall was behind, asa sideman, with the divine Sarah
Vaughan in Billy Eckstein I'lltell a little story about that
(01:49):
Jazz is part of what I've hadthe privilege to do.
I am also a mainstream if youwill I hope that term is okay
cellist, meaning that thestandard repertoire, the
classical repertoire, and jazzare at the core.
But it is, again I say,privilege to be identified as
(02:11):
such, and I'd be happy to sharewith you some of my experiences.
In 1979, when I was in New York,a young student in New York,
and I was studying with one ofthe great American cellists, my
last master, my last mentor, thewonderful cellist Kermit Moore.
We happened to share a lastname and, because we're both
(02:33):
African American, everyonethought we were father and son.
Indeed, we were not.
Creativity and the universeprovide a happy coincidence.
Anyway, to get to the point, hehad hired a group of string
players to play behind MissVaughn, who was returning to
Carnegie Hall for the first timein five years, and he had a
(02:58):
recital in Argentina, and so hesent me in as substitute.
Well, I was so excited I didn'tknow what to do.
And let me tell you, after thechase, that final song, that
rendition of Send in the Clowns,was something that remains in
(03:18):
my memory, in my heart engravedto this day.
It was one of the greatestmusic lessons I've ever had
Beauty, freedom, imagination,spontaneity.
I was so shaken and yet shecame off stage.
Billy Eckstein was standing tothe side.
She got notoriously nervous, asmany of us do.
(03:41):
He was there for moral support.
She came off the stage and shesaw me sitting on the edge of
the bandstand and she grabbed myarm and she said Honey, thank
God, this so-and-so andso-and-so is over.
And there I was, in CarnegieHall, in front of 5,000 people,
with the divine Saravanda on myarm, and I was deeply moved.
J Stephen Beam (04:03):
Wow, deeply moving.
Tell us how you came to bethere.
Tell us where you were born andraised.
Tell us a little bit about yourfamily.
Garfield Moore (04:15):
Gladly.
I am originally from Berkeley,california, born in the hospital
of which my father years laterbecame the first African
American director of emergencyservices.
My mother, his then wife,became a professor in the state
(04:36):
university system and while themarriage did not last, the
energy, the training last.
The energy, the training, thediscipline, the encouragement
did continue.
My mother had a gorgeous voiceand yet my dad I remember when
we would visit on Sundaymornings would always sing,
(04:59):
being the good Southern Baptist,that he was the hymn, the
spiritual Were you there, andI'm really proud to tell you
that to this day.
It is often something thateither begins or closes my
programs and I played it mostrecently down at St John's
Episcopal for a wonderfulservice that I'm invited to play
(05:22):
every year Good Friday.
And when I finish thisspiritual in this beautiful pine
open sanctuary which holds 150people, you can hear the spirit
reverberating, and this comesfrom my father and I will never
forget that, buick being in thefront seat from him and his bass
(05:45):
baritone voice.
So I hope that that shares alittle something.
My mother is in parade.
Inspiration goes even fartherin the sense that there's a
connection that I have withmississippi and it's a large
part of the reason why I'm proudto say I'm here.
The great state of Mississippihath produced the artist for me
(06:10):
who is the greatest singer thathas ever walked across the stage
.
And when I mention SarahVaughan and I speak of the great
lady Leontyne Price I want youto know that the elements that I
felt that evening in CarnegieHall with Sarah Vaughan, and as
she extended into thatmagnificent upper register and
(06:32):
made Time Stop, is precisely thesame element of creativity that
I heard from the magnificentLeontyne Price the first time I
heard her sing Verdi's Leonorein Trovatore.
And what I discovered at thatpoint, early on, was that there
was much more to bring ustogether in terms of creativity,
(06:55):
in terms of music, in terms ofstyle, in terms of expression,
in terms of humanity, than thereever will be to separate us.
J Stephen Beam (07:06):
You're making my heart swell a little bit here
with the idea that music is away for us to come together.
I've always believed that youdidn't start out studying the
cello.
How did you get started inmusic?
Garfield Moore (07:24):
You kind of have to hang with me.
I had a wonderful guitarteacher and I was actually
studying all types of guitar,classical guitar.
She was a wonderful player,turns out during a student
assembly in Berkeley, california, unbeknownst to me, she was
really a cellist, and in frontof all of us she demonstrated
this instrument and that was it.
(07:45):
I love the guitar, but when sheplayed the cello and there was
one particular work by acomposer who has now come to
light as one of the greatclassics, along with Mozart and
Haydn and is also revered byjazz artists because of the time
he spent in Spain and hisinterest in flamenco early,
(08:10):
early on Luigi Boccherini.
Anyway, she played a piece byBoccherini and I heard this, I
heard these opening bars andthat was it.
My mom tried to talk me out ofit.
My dad looked at me like I wascrazy.
There was no holding me backand I'm really pleased to be
able to say to you that, despitewhatever trials or tribulations
(08:30):
or difficulties or challenges,many, many, many, many years
later, I still have that samedesire and same flame.
J Stephen Beam (08:39):
It occurs to me as a retired physician myself.
You're from a physician family.
I believe you told me that yourgrandfather was also a
physician.
Oh yes, was there any?
I don't want to use the wordpressure.
Was there any?
(GARFIELD) "Absolutely, I amnot shocked.
How did you fight that off?
Garfield Moore (09:00):
Here's the thing .
Thank you for asking thatquestion.
Now, once again, you have tohang with me.
I never met my grandfather, whowas the first man of color to be
professor of OBGYN atProvidence Hospital in Chicago,
across the Mason-Dixon linewhere we [Black people] could
practice [medicine].
He was very serious andinsisted that my dad become a
(09:27):
doctor.
A little bit more about thatlater.
But he insisted that when mymother was carrying me, even
though my parents, I can say we,because I had been conceived
were in California, and he woulddrive to California and back to
Chicago, and he properlypredicted the date of my birth.
He said now he's going to come,and I know it's a boy.
He's going to come on the 8thof August and I'm going to be
here.
I've got to go back to Chicagobecause I've got to wrap up some
(09:49):
business.
In 1952, in July, he went backto Chicago, had a heart attack
and passed away.
This is where I come by my name, Garfield.
His name was Garfield.
My father was a fabuloussurgeon.
He was an excellent, I'm surelike yourself, diagnostician.
It came to my attention that itwasn't something he really
wanted to do.
The only person who pressuredme or indicated that I should
(10:14):
follow in their footsteps reallywas his mother, my paternal
grandmother, who was quite thecharacter and personality.
J Stephen Beam (10:23):
You must have gotten some of your personality
from her, I would think.
Garfield Moore (10:26):
I think that's exactly correct.
Thank you, I take that as acompliment.
It was my maternal grandmotherand, as I said, mom, with whom I
was raised the inspiration inmusic, and I want to say that
part of my attachment to one ofthe great ladies I mentioned,
the the wonderful leontine price, and I just want to tell you
(10:48):
this we all have times in life,no matter what we decide to do,
when we don't know if we'regoing to make it.
And one of the contributions ofany great artist through sound,
through visual mediums but, butin this case, particularly
through sound is to strike achord, strike a note and reach
(11:10):
someone who's coming along tohelp them understand that they
can also use their creativeability, in this case my
creative ability, to do whatthey really love.
And this is something that MissPrice did for me on a number of
occasions.
I was at Stanford Universityreally on the verge of not
(11:31):
knowing you know why I'm in thisschool, why am I doing this?
This is not working.
There are people here I justcan't make it with and I don't
have any confidence.
And I remember, on the 23rd ofJanuary in 1973, hearing a
performance that she gave assolos with San Francisco
Symphony and the final show wesay number, just like Send in
(11:53):
the Clowns with Miss Vaughn andCarnegie Hall, was Weitet
Brachna from Strauss's failedopera, except for the last scene
, the Egyptian Helena.
The Egyptian Helena, and it isthe most sweeping, majestic,
gorgeous, soaring piece of musicever written for soprano.
And when I tell you it is true,maria Callas was a media,
(12:15):
renata Tobaldi was the mostbeautiful voice on earth,
leontyne Price is the mostbeautiful voice from heaven.
And when I tell you that sheopened up the universe, that
night, when I left that theater,I decided, though I was kind of
, I felt, I was kind ofcollapsing if she can do this, I
can do something.
(12:36):
That's how I got here with youtoday.
So I want to thank Mississippi,ms Price and you.
J Stephen Beam (12:44):
Okay, let's delve a little bit deeper in
your family history.
If you know it, a good point,if I know it.
If you know it, chicago wasobviously an important part of
your family's movements around.
You said up there, so that yourgrandfather could practice.
What southern states did yourfamily come from?
Garfield Moore (13:06):
Ah, okay, thank you.
Let me be really completelyhonest.
I have some details, somestrong feelings, but very little
information.
My father and my grandfatherand my grandmother my paternal
grandmother were settled inArkansas Now my paternal
(13:30):
grandmother the Pruitts ofGethsemane, arkansas were
longtime residents.
So far as I know, that's all Iknow.
My grandfather had come to thestate of Arkansas to begin his
practice of medicine and theymet and married and my father
(13:50):
came along.
So my dad was raised in hisearly childhood in the state of
Arkansas.
From there they went to Chicagoand I want to tell you
something else I'm really proudof.
My granddad's career as aphysician was not easy.
As he was getting started, heworked in the post office while
he was attempting to open hisfirst medical practice, and I'm
(14:14):
real proud of that.
My father bragged about hisvegetable cart in both Arkansas
and in Chicago and being able tofeed his family in part when we
were in need.
My grandmother, who was a verygrand lady, so grandmothers I'm
(14:34):
not sure she would have agreedwith that interpretation, but
they were very dedicated andhardworking people and the one
thing that they would havewanted for me, for any of us in
this generation, would be tohave received that sense of
discipline and responsibility inorder to aid and help humanity.
(14:58):
Now, that much I can tell you.
J Stephen Beam (15:01):
That's incredible, I being vaguely
aware more than vaguely aware, Imust admit I've done a lot of
reading but the migration ofblack folks up to the North goes
without saying, happened, andfor good reasons, which you've
just detailed.
Garfield Moore (15:20):
Can I share one more thing with you?
J Stephen Beam (15:21):
I wish you would share anything you want to
share.
Garfield Moore (15:24):
I do remember.
I do remember there was a pointof disillusionment.
I guess I'm about five, sixyears old and I was becoming,
certainly becoming, literate,which was encouraging to my
family.
Fortunately I was very blessedand very lucky.
But I can remember opening awhat do you call them, the
little drawers, nightstandtables, and my father kept some
(15:48):
of his correspondence and evenafter my parents had divorced it
was still there.
And I remember on onion skinpaper reading a letter of
recommendation.
This would have been around1950, the year I was born, 1952.
So the letters were old, theywere typewritten, the year I was
born, 1952, so the letters wereold, they were typewritten.
(16:09):
"Dr.
Calvin Moore Dr.
, we understand, is a candidatefor such and such and so, and
so we could recommend thiscandidate with no hesitation.
His skills, his acumen, hisabilities are absolutely
outstanding.
And then new paragraph we dohope the fact that he is colored
will not stand in the way of,and this was something that
stuck with me.
It's indelible Not to produceany rancor or any
(16:35):
dissatisfaction but to simplyunderstand the challenges that
many people from my generationand generations previous to me
faced.
And I dare say he overcame thembecause he was the first black
head of the emergency room.
(16:55):
He obviously did.
J Stephen Beam (16:56):
Yeah, he obviously did, and a lot of that
drive that he had was based onyour family and what he was
taught as a young person.
As you were Right, and there'snothing that can replace that.
It doesn't matter yourbackground, your economic
background, your socialbackground.
If you grow up poor, even as Idid, but have a mother, in my
(17:21):
case, who pushed education anddidn't allow me not to do my
homework and didn't allow me notto dream, she wanted me to
dream.
If you have that, regardless ofyour background your
grandfather's being tougher thanmine I do understand that.
(17:41):
But if there's that familydrive and that family will, then
it is amazing what can beaccomplished.
Garfield Moore (17:49):
I want to stress the importance of the point
you've just made, because onething I haven't yet to make
clear that when my parents didgo their separate ways, my mom
had to start all over again.
And her achievement is evenmore impressive.
These are the middle 50s.
This is a very distinguishedand well-educated woman of color
(18:11):
who at that time wasprofessionally unwelcome in or
on most venues.
She rose from dedicatedhousewife to having to support
two children and let me behonest and candid on her own
(18:34):
from that station to professorat what is now one of the
largest state universities inCalifornia, and I am really
proud to tell you that herachievement is utterly superb
because there is a fullscholarship in her name to this
day, and that's something shedid without help.
So watching her, watching DrKing, watching the magnificent
(18:56):
Leontyne Price and my father anda number of other examples, I
felt, and still feel, like Ihave a responsibility of other
examples, I felt, and still feel, like I have a responsibility.
J Stephen Beam (19:08):
Okay, so we have you, as a young person who had
first set for training withguitar decided to switch to
cello.
Let's move on from there.
How did your training ensue?
Where were you, and are thereany particular mentors or
teachers that really had animpact on you?
Garfield Moore (19:31):
You really know how to ask the right questions.
When I was 13, I enrolled in achamber music program at one of
the local colleges Mills Collegeand I didn't know a lot about
it, but I knew that I wasalready revering the person who
was running it, the greatEnglish cellist, Colin Hampton
(19:52):
from the Grilla Quartet.
Now he had just retired and wasenjoying himself.
He was playing very freely andopenly and demonstrating his
wonderful life of art.
You know, the Grilla Quartet,of which he was the cellist, had
been through World War II inthe Royal Air Force.
They disbanded during thatperiod and went through great
(20:15):
suffering and reunited and thencame to this country and made a
great success of it.
Colin Hampton was not only anextraordinary cellist, an
extraordinary human being.
He was a second father to meand he, while he got frustrated
with me on occasion I could bequite irascible and
(20:37):
undisciplined he was a continuedvessel of love and support and
he set an example which wasmagnificent.
And he, what he did was, afterI'd been with him, it was
announced that he'd written aconcerto for cello and small
orchestra and that I wouldpremiere it when I was 13.
(20:58):
Ah, it was an extraordinary, anextraordinary experience, and
there are a few othercoincidences that I'll share
very quickly.
At that time, little ChellisGarfield Moore was attending
Garfield Junior High in Berkeley.
We had the premiere, we didthis, I went on to high school
(21:18):
and then college and all of that.
And some years later anotheryoung person of color, Kamala
Harris, goes to the same juniorhigh school and she talks about
this in Berkeley and she speaksof her mother's triumphs and
struggles.
So there seems to be somethingin the water in Berkeley which
(21:41):
provides certainly challenge,struggle, resistance and
difficulty, but also seems to bea spot to nurture creativity,
intelligence and the ability tocontribute.
J Stephen Beam (22:03):
An opportunity.
Yes, yes, how did you get toNew York?
Garfield Moore (22:08):
Yeah, oh sorry, kind of a sinister laugh.
That's a wonderful story andthank you for asking.
Well, the truth is I had justexperienced the most difficult
year of my life.
My father passed away in 1977.
I had taken a job in the publicschool system in Oakland, which
(22:30):
was very challenging.
But there again there was ahighlight.
Dr King's widow, coretta ScottKing, was invited to give a
keynote address at thegraduation from middle school
and I got to present the choirand accompany them at that event
(22:50):
.
That was the one blue ribbontied around.
Another was completely chaoticand, shall we say, really
challenging existence for a year.
At the end of this verydifficult year I was able to get
my very first cello.
I didn't commission it, but Iadopted it as it was being made
and instruments were veryexpensive even then, and I
(23:12):
remember I managed to teach thatyear and save $4,500.
Well, I purchased the cello.
Suddenly, the Civic Light Operain San Francisco called again.
I was invited to play aproduction starring Lena Horne,
clifton Davis and JosephinePernice.
She did a version of Pal Joey.
Well, previously I played myfirst show had been one with
(23:36):
Patti LuPone, which was herfirst show on the road.
Yes, patti LuPone of Evita andTV fame.
And the conductor of that showpromised me that if he ever
could bring me to New York, hewould Well guess what happened.
I adopt the cello.
I managed to pay for it.
I'm kind of recovering fromthis crazy year.
(23:57):
The phone rings Look, if youwant the job, this is yours, if
you can square it with the union.
And at that time there was someissue.
I lived in California and theshow was to be Michael Bennett's
first production after ChorusLine, which was Ballroom,
starring Vince Gardenia andDorothy Loudon, who had played
(24:18):
Miss Haversham in Annie, theoriginal version.
Anyway, my best friend lent mehis credit card, got me a plane
ticket.
I didn't have a lot of money atthat point.
I went to New York, got on myyou know, sports jacket and went
down to meet the vice presidentat the American Federation of
Musicians Turns out Mr EV Lewis,whom I met.
He said where are you from,young man?
(24:39):
I said, sir, I am from Berkeley, california.
My mother's house is on 9thStreet.
And he looked at me.
He said you're a cellist, areyou?
I said yes, I am.
He said well, this is only atransfer of membership.
A cellist are you?
I said yes, I am.
He said well, this is only atransfer of membership, there's
no problem, and I own a house on10th street.
And he leaned across the tableand he said welcome to New York.
Well, that afternoon I went outand my head was exploding.
(25:00):
For the first time I was onfifth Avenue and I got to tell
you something.
I'm standing between the PlazaHotel and Columbus Circle.
I burst into laughter.
I had never seen so many peopleon a street in my life and I
knew this is where I belong.
And while Ballroom the show didnot run, it turned into four
(25:22):
years of Evita.
That did run and that turnedinto Yul Brynner's last run of
the King and I and Liza Minnelliand Chita Rivera in the Rink.
But there was one particularafternoon.
We're all the way up to 1985.
Now I arrived at the end of1979.
This story is very important tome.
I was leaving the matinee justfinished the cello solos, mr
(25:45):
Brynner was in his dressing room, I was on my way to rehearse at
Radio City with the greatRoberta Fleck and I come up the
stage on the Broadway theater,which now, at this point, at the
age of 29 or 30 or whatever itis, is my home and in the door
comes this incredible bob ofreddish-blonde hair and Mr
(26:08):
Brenner's dressing room was open.
I can hear him in there.
His dog runs out, steals thesandwich in my hand and I look
up and here's this beautifulBible right here.
I said good afternoon, mrsMorton.
Lucille Ball took off herglasses and said how did you
know my last name and how didyou notice me?
I was a fan of your latehusband's comedy and I said
anyone would recognize themagnificent Lucille Ball.
And she looked at me.
(26:29):
She said you have to be a Leo.
I said just like you, madam.
I went on to rehearse withBerta Flagg, play with her and
George Benson that night and Igot out in time to get to
Carnegie Hall to hear the end ofLeon Dean Price.
Now where else in the worldcould that happen?
I hope I haven't bored you, butthat's kind of my story.
J Stephen Beam (26:52):
Fascinating.
How was Lucy in person there Isshe a nice lady, open, warm.
Garfield Moore (26:59):
I can tell you this I hope a pretty intuitive
and instinctive person.
I can remember as a childthinking that as long as bear
with me Lucille Ball, joanCrawford, betty Davis, kate
Hepburn and Dick Gregory alive,the world is going to be okay.
(27:21):
I know every episode.
I hope this is okay.
I know every episode of I LoveLucy okay, and everything that I
loved and hoped was true.
When she pulled off thosesunglasses with those huge eyes
and looked at me and spoke to mewas true.
She's a great lady.
J Stephen Beam (27:41):
Also a favorite of mine.
Okay, so you're in New York,been there several years, by
this point, and done some goodwork and met some obviously
important, influential andtalented people.
Now how did you get intoforeign travel to play music?
(28:03):
I?
Garfield Moore (28:03):
really want to be open with you about that.
It did happen.
It never happened as much as Iwanted it to.
In fact, I'll tell you onefunny story when Philip Glass
was coming along he's been allthe rage for many, many years
now, but when his music wasfirst getting known, I was in a
(28:23):
recording studio downtownsomewhere and a number of the
big recording cellists were intown.
Understand me, this was bigbusiness.
Okay, you went in the recordingstudio, if you were on the list
at maybe nine o'clock in themorning, stayed till five
o'clock, you know, in theevening doing this jingle, that
jingle, this commercial, thatcommercial, this set, that set,
(28:46):
and it was a six-figure income.
All right, I was not part ofthat clan, but I did
occasionally rub elbows.
Well, I was in the room with anumber of them.
Okay, my master, who Imentioned, kermit moore was, was
was one of the kingpins in thatindustry.
He wasn't on this date.
I think this was another onewhere he sent me into subframe.
So his engineer is there andphilip glass is somewhere behind
(29:10):
the scenes.
And at the end of the day, threehours, he said, oh, is anybody
interested in a European tour?
And I was getting ready toraise my hand and all the other
cellists were like this andunfortunately I know this is
going to sound ridiculous myshyness went out at that point.
Okay, no-transcript hired me todo it and flew me down there.
(30:01):
I'd gotten a salary and I gotback and the building was on
rent strike.
I didn't have a dime, I had 102fever, but I was the happiest
cellist in the world because Iwas accomplishing my mission.
The concerts had gone well andI always believe firmly that if
you are really, really, reallystruggling and fighting for what
(30:25):
you believe in and love, whatis really creative and important
to you, the universe will lenda hand.
Well, I'm laying in bed on thefuton and we still had, you know
, phones that weren't digital.
At that point, my phone startedringing.
I answered God this is.
Morris, lovin Rat, pat Tua hasjust lost a child.
We need you.
Can you be in Chicago next week?
I said absolutely.
(30:46):
I said may I ask the what thepay is?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,two weeks of $5,000.
I said it's a frogs, bleep,bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep,
watertight.
Next thing I knew I was sittingat the ambassador hotel for the
first time in Chicago, where myfamily's from.
I got 102 fever, but I fever,but I'm having rock lobs
(31:15):
champagne and I know I can paymy rent the next month.
But I was there before anyoneelse and I got to check out the
chicago theater, which isgorgeous theater, okay, and this
is where they were going tohave the performance in chicago.
Dean martin has arrived earlyand I'm walking up the back
stairs now you, I hear abeautiful baritone voice, not
like mine, warming up.
(31:35):
And I get to the top flight andthere is Dean Martin with a
glass of scotch in his hand.
He says oh, you're the newcellist.
Hey, buddy, you cannot makethis stuff up.
J Stephen Beam (31:46):
No.
Garfield Moore (31:47):
So that was one travel, but it was to answer
your question directly.
I had a fabulous duo partnerfor 10 years in New York,
stephanie Watt.
I'm August 8th, she's August9th and we called ourselves Duo
Leo because astrologicallythat's the Leo period.
In 2002, stephanie actuallysaid listen, I've been asked to
(32:07):
play these concerts in Budapestand I'd like for the duo to go.
So we flew to Hungary andplayed a series of eight
concerts in six days, and thatis one of the blue ribbons tied
around my career.
J Stephen Beam (32:27):
As you look back over your long and lengthy and
fulfilled career in a lot ofways and I know you've already
mentioned some of these anyother particular experiences
come to mind when you're lyingin bed at night and thinking
about the past or whatever, andabout the past or whatever, and
(32:48):
oh, what a wonderful time thatwas.
Give us a couple of experiencesthat really have stuck with you
.
Garfield Moore (32:57):
My first record date.
I was invited to play before Ileft California.
This is just before everythingin my life turns around.
It's 1977, just after Imentioned, my father passed away
and I got a call to play thisrecord date and it was the great
jazz bass player Ron Carter.
(33:17):
And I got to the studio earlierand the contractor was someone
who had been very kind to me Iknew and I said are the
principals being flown in fromNew York?
Because everything was?
He said yes and I said may Iask if the principal cellist is
Kermit Moore?
And he said yes, and I said mayI ask if the principal cellist
is Kermit Moore?
And he said yes, and my soon tobe new father, an hour later,
(33:42):
walks in the studio and there heis.
I had only seen him in catalogsof solo books, columbia and
some of the other managers whenhe was traveling in Europe
playing recitals.
So I met him there and we had afantastic afternoon with Ron
Carter recording this albumPastels, and I'm sitting in the
background but I'm tickled pinkdoesn't begin to describe.
(34:02):
And the album went on to winseveral Grammys that year.
So that's one I have to tellyou.
When I met one of the.
Recently we lost a very greatcellist on the other side, lynn
Harrell name you might've heard,and I was a young fellow in an
orchestra playing trying to makesome money, you know, in New
(34:23):
York, and he came to play theVictor Herbert Cello Concerto,
okay, which was a fabulousexperience, herbert Cello
Concerto, which was a fabulousexperience, but the one that
really, really knocked me out,you know, casals is one of my
absolute idols, emanuelFeuermann, my master, kermit
Moore, but you know, I hope Ican say this, it's with so many
(34:46):
things, with the exception ofCasals, the really great ones
are the ladies, and I'm talkingabout Raya Garbosuva, we all
know today, we all rememberJacqueline Dupre and the Elgar
Concerto.
But the one for my money, whowas the absolute, under pressure
(35:06):
, the absolute finest cellistI've ever heard, was the great
Zara Nelsova, sarah Nelson, fromCanada, who was of Russian
parentage.
Anyway, this is many yearslater.
She's a mature lady and shecame with this same orchestra to
play Dvorak Concerto and I wasexcited beyond belief.
I happen to have in mycollection because I mentioned
(35:30):
my first great master, colinHampton.
He had a recording which Iadopted and then wouldn't give
back Her first solo recordingand I knew she didn't have it
(35:54):
wound up and she came out in her, you know, rehearsal garb and
she had in a her case was notparticularly elegant, but I knew
she played one of the greatStradivarius, the Marquis de
Corporon that AntoninStradivarius made in 1726.
She comes out on stage, I'mstanding.
She said oh, but I've forgottensomething.
I have to go back.
Would you hold this for me?
She hands me one of the world'sgreatest strads and all I can
(36:14):
do is cradle it.
I wouldn't dare to play it.
Besides, I didn't have a bow, Ijust had and I held this
instrument in my arms.
Anyway, she went on to playthree of the most magnificent
performances of one of the mostdifficult concertos, antonin's
Dvorak, really his second celloconcerto, the only one we people
know, the concerto in B minor.
Three nights, and the lastnight, I said.
(36:37):
I said, madame Nelsova, I don'twish to disturb you, but I have
some records for you to sign,would you mind?
I said, oh, yes, yes, yes, yes,yes, yes.
And I purposely placed thisrecording, this first solo
recording from 1952, on the box.
And she said where did you getthis?
How did you?
I said, miss Nelsova, I'm notready to part with it yet, but I
have had a cassette made andI'll have it sent round to you.
(37:00):
At the El Dorado she lived onCentral Park West and I did that
Years later, just before shepassed away, and I got wind of
it.
She was, you know, isolatedwith her family and I took this
record and it was really hardfor me to pad with, but I had it
wrapped beautifully with silkribbon and I sent it to her and
(37:20):
they said they do say I have noreal, had no real connection
with her or her family.
Please don't let memisrepresent.
But they said it was the lasttime that she sat up in bed and
smart.
Those are the things, sorts ofthings that are important to me.
J Stephen Beam (37:35):
Did you ever get to record with any?
You mentioned the Rat Pack, butany other popular music type
people.
Garfield Moore (37:43):
Let's see.
Well, if George Benson, lizaMinnelli, oh, can I tell you a
story about her as a kid.
J Stephen Beam (37:50):
Oh yeah.
Garfield Moore (37:52):
Liza Minnelli.
Oh, can I tell you a storyabout her with the kit.
Oh yeah, I don't know if youguys are old enough to remember,
but after a long career onBroadway and a Shantus here and
particularly in Europe, miss Kithad a hit single which went
wild.
I need a man.
And she did that beautifulpurse she used to do.
I used to run around thereservoir when I was a younger
(38:14):
man and when my knees were stillworking.
And one morning I'm runningaround.
I had been called for a recorddate downtown.
And I'm running around and thisIrish wolfhound followed by, I
recognize you meet, eartha Kitt.
Good morning, miss Kitt.
And she and this wolfh wolf, westart running together.
Okay, I was, you know, I waskept a respectful distance and I
(38:37):
was just.
I said I'm very happy to meetyou and I said I don't wish to
disturb you.
So no, no, fine, well, anyway,went home, change got down in
the recording studio and we goin and we lay down this track
and it has a beat as, oh, thishas got to be a disco tune.
Well, I come out and there isonce again Eartha Kitt.
(38:57):
I said, ms Kitt, didn't we meetthis morning?
She said absolutely we did.
I said I am so proud to be apart of this project.
She said, well, I just hope itworks.
Well, that was the 1982, excuseme, 1983 hit single I Need a
man.
And it went viral.
So there was George Benson,there was Sarah Vaughan I got to
(39:25):
record with.
I got to record with eventhough she wasn't Carmen McRae.
I got to record with, eventhough she wasn't Carmen McRae.
(39:53):
The artists that I work with,the one I think that I felt
particularly attached to, Iguess I would have to say, would
have been Liza Minnelli andGladys Knight.
These were two of the biggestspirits that I've ever met and
let me tell you with with gladysnight, as powerful as she still
is to this day, a lady ofbeauty, also considerably as
powerful as she sounds to thisday, you have no idea what she
sounded like live.
It was the most incrediblesound.
The other one would have been Ihope this is is a name we
remember Leslie Uggams.
(40:14):
Oh, yes, yeah, this was again.
She was a very demure andunassuming lady and when she
pulled off those sunglasses andgot center stage, the chandelier
shook.
Huge personality.
Also.
One thing I just want to goback to the Mr Bojangles and the
(40:36):
T for Two sketch that Mr SammyDavis Jr did live and in the
recording studio were amongstthe most powerful things I ever
experienced.
J Stephen Beam (40:48):
How was.
Sinatra to work with things Iever experienced.
How was Sinatra to work with?
Garfield Moore (40:52):
He was a master of a world that enthralled and
held people spellbound.
He provided he, and Mr Davisand Mr Martin provided my
(41:13):
literal existence, the salvationof it, by creating that tour.
He could hold an audience inthe palm of his hand in a way
that I have, which is reservedfor the greats.
Let's just say I will remaineternally grateful to his legacy
and memory for having providedthat opportunity.
J Stephen Beam (41:37):
What a fascinating career you had, and
it still goes on.
I don't want to imply that itdoesn't.
How did Garfield Moore fromBerkeley, Chicago, New York, end
up in small town Mississippi?
Garfield Moore (42:00):
I'm really glad you asked that question.
My then partner and now husband, a wonderful man, really
wonderful guy, william Mazzali,had spent a lot of time in
Mississippi and loved OceanSprings.
And the truth is that not solong ago, everything in my
(42:21):
career which meant so much to mecame to a screeching, and I got
to tell you.
I'm really proud to be able tosit here and say that, because I
think that we all need to beaware that all careers, all
lives may have peaks, butthey're going to have valleys
and low points too.
And this was a real low point.
But I had my partner, I had mydog, you know, I had my home,
(42:44):
and I said, you know, I just andthinking, I want to get out,
get, get out of here, there'snothing left to do.
And my best friend had saidwell, look, come on to Texas.
You know, you could alwaysteach down here and I wasn't so
sure of that Many fine artistsor many fine cellists in Texas
anyway.
And so I talked to Bill.
I said, you know, I'm, I'mreally thinking that maybe we
ought to go somewhere else.
(43:05):
He said well, how does OceanSprings sound?
And I said that's a lovely name, where he said Ocean Springs,
mississippi, and I took a moment, having never I had traveled
down South.
I had.
I had played in New Orleans, Ihad played in Houston, I had
played in Dallas, but I was 16years old at the time and the
civil rights movement had justyou know really completed its
(43:28):
apex and was really quite a nicetour for me.
I was very grateful and Ilooked at him like he had called
me a dirty name and I didn'tsay any more about it.
But I woke up the next morningand said Garfield, you're more
open than this.
Your roots are selling.
Your father is from the fieldin Arkansas.
(43:50):
So I said let's go take a lookat it.
Let's make a long story short.
Next thing, I know I'm walkingout of the airport.
Everybody is well, professorMoore, we're so glad to see you
at the car rental agency.
Everyone is really incrediblypolite.
To make an even longer storyshort, I decided I liked it.
He really wanted to be thereand in two weeks we had a home,
(44:10):
and I should also like to boastand brag that in that time since
, shall we say, april of 2018, Ihave made some of the most
important musical acquaintancesto include institutions which I
consider to be as artistic andprestigious as any excuse me
institutions which I consider tobe as artistic and prestigious
(44:31):
as any.
I'm talking about St John'sEpiscopal that has a wonderful
music series in Ocean Springs.
I'm speaking of the OrrO'Keeffe Museum in Biloxi which
Frank Gehry built.
I'm speaking of and this is myblue ribbon I will have a debut
(44:52):
next March at the Little Theaterin Laurel Mississippi, miss
Price's hometown.
So when you talk about LittleTown in Mississippi, my life's
dream is to give back toMississippi and that great lady
some of what's been given to me,and that will happen next March
(45:14):
at the Little Theater in LaurelMississippi and I'm a very
proud resident of Bassfieldincluding all 400 cows, dogs,
cats and, you know, livestock.
J Stephen Beam (45:29):
Bill must be from Mississippi if he got you
down here.
Garfield Moore (45:32):
No, bill is a Yankee from Connecticut.
You're stuck with two Yankees.
He has a wonderful familytradition and lineage from
coastal Connecticut and he's anextraordinary human being
because he devoted his life toeducation and also to seeing
(45:54):
that those who have come withchallenges mental and physical
have been protected and housedproperly on a professional basis
, and he did it with such styleand such professionalism that he
made it look easy.
J Stephen Beam (46:12):
So he got to Ocean Springs.
How?
Garfield Moore (46:15):
In a previous life he was married to a lady
and her parents lived in OceanSprings, and the wonderful
stories that I've heard abouthis then family revolve around
his in-laws, his wife's parents,ira and Annette, and he told so
many stories about them andOcean Springs and going fishing
(46:37):
with Ira and out to dinner withboth of them that I felt like I
knew the town before I ever gotthere.
J Stephen Beam (46:45):
That's where we begin to wrap up, thinking about
you and all your many wonderfulthings that you've done.
And it occurs to me, do youstill practice quite often?
Garfield Moore (47:00):
If I don't, you'll be throwing rotten
tomatoes, absolutely, absolutely.
And it doesn't get easier atthis stage.
There are some things that areeasier, there are some things
that are better.
Performing comes a little bitmore easily than it used to, but
I have to put myself throughdaily routines, if not
(47:24):
rigorously regularly.
And I'll just add this notethat not that I mean to compare
myself in any way, except that Iam playing solo concerts.
That's what I've been doing forthe past 20 years and I'm an
avid recitalist.
I'm looking so forward toplaying everything from Bach to
(47:44):
rock.
There will be Bach, there willbe Beethoven, there will be
Tango of Piazzolla and Calypso,there will be the Beatles, there
will be Roberta Flack, therewill be George Benson, there
will be and this one is reallyspecial to me a rendition of
(48:06):
Bridge Over Troubled Water ofSimon and Garfunkel.
But to answer your question, Iagain I don't mean to compare
myself with, with my absoluteidol, the great pablo casals.
At the age of 95, someone askedhim.
He said senor casals, do youstill practice?
He said yes, of course, threehours a day.
They said why?
(48:26):
At the age of 95, he said Ithink I am improving.
J Stephen Beam (48:34):
Well, I bet you are too.
So, garfield.
You've done so many things,lived a life in some ways, and
lived all over the country,played even in Europe, met some
famous people.
But is there any dreams thatyou still have out there other
(48:56):
than I know you like to teach,but any personal dreams that you
have?
Garfield Moore (49:00):
You're not only a great host, you're a mind
reader.
Yes, sir, I hope within thenext year to become the first
American cellist to play all ofsix Bach suites which Casals and
, today, yo-yo Ma havepopularized so beautifully.
(49:21):
I hope to be the first Americancellist to play all of them in
Portugal.
J Stephen Beam (49:27):
Wow, I'm speechless.
Well, I'm speechless.
My hope and prayer is that youget to do that because you
deserve it and you'll do awonderful job, I am sure.
Thank you.
(49:54):
Podcast to be about creativity,and you mentioned something
recently with some of yourstudents that helped you again
think about creativity.
Would you just share thatlittle snippet with us?
Garfield Moore (50:00):
Sure, sure, sure , I'll try to be brave.
First of all, you know, there'sa saying that necessity is the
mother of invention, thatnecessity is indeed creativity
the first time we as humansdiscovered that we could create
a flame to keep ourselves warm.
And then somebody noticed thebeautiful color in the flame and
(50:21):
made a drawing on a cave wall.
It is my avocation, my absoluteresponsibility, if I don't do
anything else, to find thosewith and in whom I can ignite
the same spirit of desire, andI've had that privilege with my
(50:42):
students.
I saw some of it yesterday.
But the most valuable thingthat I can contribute is to make
sure that a sense of humanity,through our art form, continues
to thrive.
J Stephen Beam (50:58):
And it just reminds us that one of the
things we can do in this life togive back is to share what we
know, what we've learned, withthe younger generation, and
especially the very young, whodon't have so many things
imprinted in their mind at thistime.
So I salute you for that, thankyou.
(51:20):
Thank you so much.
This has been wonderful.
Learned a lot about you.
All of it good so to ourlisteners, I certainly hope that
you've enjoyed this.
We will come out twice a monthwith the podcast starting soon,
(51:41):
and invite you to continue tofollow us.
I also remind you of my website, jstephenbeamcom.
There you can find some blogposts and some writings about
what I'm up to with my writingcareer and also how to find my
books and how to find a littlebit more about our guests on
(52:02):
this program, if you would liketo do that I had just one quick
note in tandem.
Garfield Moore (52:08):
Forgive me, I'm skating on the coattails of your
celebrity, sir, but may I alsomention Garfieldmorecom, my
website, because it'll haveannouncements about upcoming
performance and where I'mteaching, where I might be
giving a master class or aconcert.
J Stephen Beam (52:25):
Thank you for that.
It was my intention to ask youto tell us that first.
Oh, sorry, no, but I've jumpedright into mine.
I guess we're all soself-involved sometimes.
Thank you for that.
Again, thank you for the visit.
We thank Christina, who'shelped us with this recording,
(52:45):
and, as we send it forward, youwill be able to find this on
Spotify starting in June.
I assume that's where you foundit, except for some people that
I've shared it with already.
So, once again, keep lookingfor our podcast.
We look to focus on creativityin all the fields.
Let me just say, not just music, not just in writing, but in
(53:08):
things like woodworking andmetalworking, and preachers who
have to put together sermons,and on and on.
When you open your mind tocreativity, it's everywhere.
Thanks again and God bless,thank you.
©.
Transcript Emily Beynon.
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