Cooper-Moore Trio

After rising to popularity in the late-’70s American underground jazz scene, -Cooper-Moore returned home from a European tour and set his piano on fire one day in 1981. “I invited this guy from Cameroon over, a guitar player, and we pushed the piano through the living room, through the kitchen, out into the backyard, took a sledgehammer to it, burned up the wood,” Cooper-Moore told One Final Note, a jazz Web zine. The pianist wasn’t done with music, just the performer lifestyle. He dedicated his life to developing a music curriculum for the young, disabled and at-risk and traveled the world giving lessons meant to help them heal through music (sans fire). This helped him heal as well. Cooper-Moore returned to the stage in the early ‘90s with his Cooper-Moore Trio, which showcases his latest interest — instrument invention. Cooper-Moore is responsible for creations such as the bass diddly-bow, the horizontal hoe-handle harp, the three-string fretless banjo and the electric mouth bow. See him fire these up today at 8 p.m. Barnevelder Movement/Arts Complex, 2201 Preston. For information, call 713-928-5653 or visit www.namelesssound.org. $10 to $13; under 18, free.
Sat., Jan. 19, 8 p.m., 2008