Ear Expansion with Jessica Care Moore

In this episode of Ear Expansion, host LaMont Hamilton interviews Jessica Care Moore, discussing her extensive career, influences, and artistic journey. Moore shares insights into her early musical influences from a diverse range of artists, crediting her parents and the cultural environment of Detroit. She delves into her evolution as an artist, blending poetry, music, and performance, with significant mentorship from elder poets such as Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni, Ntozake Shange, Gil Scott Heron and more. The conversation touches on her founding of Moore Black Press, experiences in Brooklyn’s seminal 90s Black Art scene, and pivotal life events that shaped her work. Moore also speaks passionately about her project 'Black Women Rock,' a festival celebrating Black women's contributions to music. Throughout, Moore reflects on the transformative power of her voice, artistic collaborations, and her refusal to be confined by traditional genres, highlighting her foundational and more recent work such as the opera 'Wild Beauty' and the genre-bending album 'We Are Scorpio.'