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Ralph Moore was born on December 24, 1956 in London, England and grew up in a crowded inner city area. He showed no particular musical interest until his mother bought him a trumpet when he was 13. He studied with Brixton local musician Alan Briggs and was soon sitting in with pub bands. Briggs had a tenor saxophone that the young musician fell in love with the look of the instrument and soon made the switch.

1972 saw Ralph moving to California to live with his American father, graduating from Santa Maria High School where he played in the jazz orchestra and collected several music awards.Three years later he enrolled at Berklee Colege of Music, studied  with saxophonist Andy McGhee and another three years later received the Lenny Johnson Memorial Award for outstanding musicianship from the college.

He launched his professional career with a tour of Scandinavia, later joined Frank Quintero for recording and a tour of South America. He moved to New York City in 1981 and within two months joined the Horace Silver Quintet for an association that lasted four years and included tours of Europe and Japan.

Moore has worked with Roy Haynes, Charles Mingus Dynasty, Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gilespie’s Reunion Big Band, Kevin Eubanks, Bill Mays, Valery Ponoomarev, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Knepper, Brian Lynch, J.J. Johnson, Billy Hart, Oscar Peterson, Superblue, Cedar Walton and Ray Brown. He continues to perform, tour and record as a leader and sideman.

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