Remembering LeRoi Moore

Sweet, raucous, fun loving and pensive, LeRoi Moore’s personality and music were one and the same, friends say.

Moore, saxophonist and arranger for the Dave Matthews Band, died Tuesday in Los Angeles from complications related to injuries he suffered in June in an all-terrain vehicle accident at his farm outside Charlottesville.

“It’s devastating. He was extremely modest and an extremely natural musician,” said John D’earth, who played with

Moore in a variety of groups, including Cosmology, the Charlottesville Swing Orchestra and his own John D’earth Quintet and Sextet. “He was the tenor player I most enjoyed playing with in this area. He was kind of a musical savant. He was very natural and his improvisations were truly self-expression. It seemed like a rare moment of justice in the music business when he finally received the recognition he deserved.”

Moore, 46, was more than a musician. Dawn Thomp-son, whose vocals mixed with Moore’s sax and Greg Howard’s Chapman Stick in the improvisational band Code Magenta, recalled his humor and friendship.

“The way he told a joke was wonderful. Even if the joke wasn’t funny, he’d have you laughing. I could hear him tell the same joke over and over and I’d still laugh,” said Thompson, who is married to D’earth. “He was more than a friend. He was part of our family.”

Thompson said Moore’s music mimicked the man.

“He was passionate, but at the same time he was very laid back,” she said. “His music was both energetic and relaxed. It’s a real loss.”

Moore was rushed to the University of Virginia Medical Center on June 30 after his four-wheel ATV tossed him while riding on property he owned near Charlottesville. He spent several days in intensive care in serious condition. Although the extent of his injuries was not officially released, the Rolling Stone magazine Web site, which covers the pop music culture, said he suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung.

Moore was a founding member of the Dave Matthews Band with Matt-hews and local musicians Boyd Tinsley, Stefan Lessard and Carter Beauford. He learned sax from local bandleader Sonny Sampson and instructor Calvin Cage. His love for jazz led him to play in area combos and groups until he was brought into the Dave Matthews Band.

According to the band’s Web site, Moore no longer considered himself a jazz musician, but said the freedom he had to arrange and improvise with the band was just as rewarding. Local jazz musicians, however, never gave him up to pop music.

“I met him several times and he seemed like a fantastic guy. He really exuded the joy of music and his joy of life came through in his music,” said Gary Funston, a member of the Charlottesville Jazz Society’s governing board. “It’s a sad day for a whole lot of reasons.”

From online obituary services to Rolling Stone to dailyprogress.com, saddened fans on Wednesday expressed shock at Moore’s death. Fan forums were all abuzz with debate and rumors as to whether the band would cancel upcoming shows, disband or soldier on. All agreed, however, that Moore’s death is a loss.

“He will be truly missed, not just as a member of the Dave Matthews Band, but as an amazing musician with numerous talents,” wrote Joanne Smith of Charlottes-ville, who attended a recent concert with her husband and two children. “My personal favorite instrument was whenever he played the penny whistle. Just magical. Not only will the Dave Matthews Band be without a member, but Charlottes-ville will be without an amazing soul.”

D’earth agreed.

“He didn’t like the limelight that came with being famous. He just wanted to play and let his music speak for him,” D’earth said. “He was amazing.”