Take the voice of Jeff Buckley, the pop smarts of The Police's Andy Summers, and the picking of Direstraits' Mark Knopfler and you'll go some way to describing A.J Moore. As a guitarist, singer and songwriter, he has, in a brief career, played with leading lights in the classical and pop world as well as carving a niche for his own work in London's top venues.

Brought up in Carlisle, A.J began learning classical guitar age 12. 'My mum sang jazz and folk numbers in clubs, restaurants and hospitals, while my dad was a fan of blues and folk-rock. From the moment I woke until I slept there was music, and the more I heard the more I wanted to play. My parents encouraged me to play the guitar. They felt it wise I have an instrument upon which to accompany myself as a singer and were obviously right because it's all I do now.'

Brought up in Carlisle, A.J began learning classical guitar age 12. 'My mum sang jazz and folk numbers in clubs, restaurants and hospitals, while my dad was a fan of blues and folk-rock. From the moment I woke until I slept there was music, and the more I heard the more I wanted to play. My parents encouraged me to play the guitar. They felt it wise I have an instrument upon which to accompany myself as a singer and were obviously right because it's all I do now.'

'As my ability grew so did my love for music. It became as much a part of me as the words I speak or my name. At school, I would be involved in all the concerts, whether it be as a bassoonist in the orchestra, vocalist in the choir, or solo guitarist. My world revolved around my need to play.'
The relationship I have with music is beyond love. It's essential to me. It's as much a part of me as my name or the words I speak'.

After leaving Carlisle, A.J moved to Yorkshire, qualifying from Leeds College of Music with a Bachelor of Performing Arts in classical music (a college at which he later taught). It was during his time at Leeds that A.J developed his skills as a versatile musician and song writer, playing in and writing for a wide variety of bands, and duos. 2005 saw his move to London. With only £300 left in his overdraft and no job to go to it was a brave move.

'It was a risk, but I knew what I wanted to do - to meet others who shared my passion for music and to play my songs and guitar in the best venues to the biggest audiences. I worked hard and took the opportunities given and now I'm starting to fulfil those dreams.'

Hayley Westenra - the acclaimed Kiwi singer - was one of the first to recognise A.J's talent, having him accompany her both on stage and in the studio.

'Hayley and I have been working together for around two years and it's been a pleasure. It's given me the chance to play in front of packed auditoriums across the country, in venues like the Albert, Bridgewater and Birmingham Town Hall's. It's also given me the belief in my own ability. The first time you're in the wings for a show like that, you really feel the pressure of not only the expectant audience but also the talent you're working with. It's only when you're four songs into the set that you relax and think, "I can do this". The hours of practice suddenly seem worth it. It's a truly exhilarating experience'.

As well as performing with Hayley, A.J now travels with X Factor talent and successful young British tenor, Jonathan Ansell. He's also had the pleasure of working alongside Britain's Got Talent star Faryl Smith. No mean feat as the performers' managers demand that their talent gets the best session musicians.

Alongside his session work A.J has enjoyed writing features for Total Guitar, and Guitar Techniques as well as his regular pieces for The Acoustic Magazine. You can also find him presenting, with the creation of Rockschool's Guitar tuition DVD's, plus short videos for Total Guitar.

While he's made a name for himself in the session circles, his own compositions are building a following. Understated verses with haunting sweeps of acoustic guitar, rich colossal, choruses all pepper A.J's first offerings. Tracks such as 'How Do You Know?' and 'Beautiful Eyes' are intelligent yet radio friendly compositions. While 'Calling You' could sit happily at the top of the more polished moments of Jeff Buckley's Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk.

Take it all Away - a song so rich and anthemic that it's being used to head an environmental movement (Saveit4aSong) - is good enough to live in its original studio version or acoustic as can be seen on YouTube. The song originally took shape as a piece of classical noodling that A.J turned into a beautifully structured song. 'It wasn't the music that took time - the problem was we had to perfect the lyrics to make sure they worked. A song about the environment is incredibly tricky. It's so easy to slip into awful parody. The greatest acknowledgement for me that the song was good was when Sir David Attenborough gave me the nod.'

The future is bright for A.J. 'I've been so busy for several years, performing, writing about and teaching music. I've been very lucky to do the thing I love. Now I'm getting the chance to push my own music. I've got the band together, we're tight and the response to the songs is hugely positive. I feel confident that it won't be long before the right management - who are as driven and passionate about music as I am - and the right record deals comes along.'

CLIMATE CHANGE SONG
'TAKE IT ALL AWAY'

‘Take It All Away’, (originally inspired by the work of BBC presenter and naturalist Sir David Attenborough), was written by A.J Moore and Gillian Harding to raise awareness about climate change, and carry the important message to a wider audience.

As the idea grew A.J and Gillian began developing Saveit4aSong.com, a new campaign focused on informing the public about the problems of Climate Change and Environmental issues through music, film, visuals and podcasts. Under the guidance of Sir David Attenborough they chose three conservation charities to champion, The World Land Trust, WWF, and Fauna and Flora.
 

Saveit4aSong will be promoting projects by these charities, and will follow their progress through interviews and film. There  will be the opportunity for public donations and 'Take It All Away' will also be available for purchase. All donations and profits will go direct to the charities.

While www.Saveit4aSong.com is currently under construction you can join them on myspace, youtube and twitter.

A.J MOORE LINKS