THE MOORS were a band founded in 2009 in Hastings, East Sussex, UK, by Elaine and Ken Edwards. For over ten years the band played more than a hundred indoor and outdoor gigs in South East England and beyond.
A complete listing of the band's gigs, 2009-18, can be accessed here.
THE MOORS’ influences included Balkan music, klezmer, mediaeval Sephardic music, Cuban rhythms and folk-rock. The band combined original compositions with arrangements of traditional music.
THE MOORS made several recordings: two EPs and one full-length album, still available as downloads and (in the case of the album) on CD.
MOORISH - the unplugged version of The Moors - played more reflective, traditional music, often without a drummer, sometimes as a duo or trio.
In early 2019 other commitments and a sense that the band had achieved everything it was going to led to a decision to stop playing live.
THE MOORS were:
Elaine Edwards – soprano sax, flute, accordion
Jenny Benwell – fiddle
Andy Maby – drums
Russell Field – drums
Richard Butler – guitar
Ken Edwards –
bass, vocals
Previous Moors drummers:
Tok Tippayanasa
Tom Alexander
Deputy Moors have included:
Chris Hamblin (fiddle)
Will Thomson (guitar)
Looking for the (US) Moors? The US-based band called the Moors is not currently active but has a loyal following. Their original and traditional songs combine Celtic, medieval and modern music in an unforgettable electronic and otherworldy setting, drawing on the trance-inducing and consciousness-altering properties of overtones, featuring primal percussion and haunting winds and vocals.