The Dan Moore Trio features the formidable talents of bassist Wesley Morgan, and drummer Rodrigo Villanueva. The group enjoys a unique chemistry that allows them to stretch the limits of the vibraphone trio with a shared artistic vision that is refreshing in today’s jazz scene. The trio is most at home coaxing creative improvisations out of familiar melodies that are the hallmarks of their performances.

Listen to the trio play Summertime.

Listen to the trio play Bill Frisell’s Strange Meeting.

As a soloist/leader, Dan Moore performs around the globe with appearances in North,

Central, and South America, Asia, and Europe. He is a natural collaborator producing unique artistic projects with the help of many creative and talented friends.

Dan has appeared on more than 30 professional recordings — 15 as a leader or co-leader. He is an international performing artist for the Yamaha Corporation of America, a signature mallet artist for Innovative Percussion, and an artist for Sabian cymbals, Gon Bops Percussion, and Grover Pro Percussion.

He is a professor of music at The University of Iowa School of Music. In his spare time he enjoys writing, creating art, and cooking, but gardening, not so much.

Rodrigo Villanueva is professor of jazz studies at Northern Illinois University where he teaches jazz drum set, jazz arranging, and is director of the award winning NIU Jazz Lab Band. Mr. Villanueva is a drummer, composer, and arranger who performs regularly with the Eddie Gomez Trio and leads his own trio/quartet.

Rodrigo has performed and/or recorded with many jazz, classical, and pop artists from Mexico, South America, Korea, Japan and the U.S. He holds a Bachelor of Music (Magna Cum Laude) and a Master of Music in Jazz Performance from the University of North Texas.

Mr. Villanueva is a Yamaha, Sabian, Latin Percussion, Evans and Reunion Blues artist. He is also a faculty performer at the Birch Creek Music Center Percussion and Steel Band Summer Program, the Vic Firth Education Team, PAS, JEN, ASCAP, the Golden Key National Honor Society, and the Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars. Please do not ask him about soccer.

Wesley Morgan is a professional musician, educator, and composer in the Chicago area. An experienced performer on both the electric and double bass, he brings a

high level of creativity, energy, and enthusiasm to every performance.

While growing up in Kansas, Wesley took an interest in music at an early age. After trying several instruments, he settled on the electric bass shortly after his 13th birthday and followed with the upright bass a year later. Currently, he resides near Chicago with his wife (and mixed media artist) Angela Morgan, where he maintains an active performance schedule, serves as an adjunct faculty member at Lewis University, and offers private music instruction.

Wesley enjoys many styles of music, and as a result has performed with a variety of groups spanning the musical spectrum. He feels that as long as music is written and performed with passion, the labels attached to a genre should not stifle his duty to represent the artist’s work in the best way possible.

When he isn’t playing the bass or attending an art opening he is probably working on his house.