In medieval times, alchemy was a mystical pursuit based on a belief that gold could be created from common raw materials. It's an ancient practice, an idea that has long since been debunked by centuries of scientific evidence to the contrary. Or has it? Attempts to derive precious substances from lead or tin may have been dismissed by modern-day science as a fool's errand, but the belief that something of great value can come from something common persists. For drummer Stanton Moore, it's just a matter of finding the right groove.

Moore proves his theory many times over with the release of Groove Alchemy. The 12-track set is the culmination of Moore's multimedia project that also includes an instructional book and DVD of the same name. All three facets of the project are designed to explore the roots of funk drumming by examining the work of pioneers like Jabo Starks, Clyde Stubblefield, and Zigaboo Modeliste - each of whom made their mark at different times throughout the 1960s as the engines driving James Brown's and the Meters' legendary rhythm sections - and in turn tracing their influences back to the rhythms coming out of New Orleans in the earlier part of the 20th century.

"I'm showing how to not only understand the roots of funk and the history of funk," says Moore, "but also how to understand the creative processes behind it, and then how to learn from those creative processes so you can begin to make new grooves with the drums out of what was done in the past. With this project, I've kind of lifted the lid off the process that I go through and what's involved whenever I put together a record."

But Groove Alchemy is anything but a strictly academic exercise. "If you're just a listener and a music fan, you can pick up the record and totally dig it for the music itself," says Moore. "There's nothing about that experience that has to be instructional. But if you're a drummer, and you want to understand how I came up with these beats and understand the history of the music as I know it, in the hopes that you might deepen your knowledge and come up with new grooves as a result, then you can check out the book and the DVD."

Groove Alchemy runs the gamut of emotions - from the upbeat and festive to the broken-hearted and even spooky. It's a cache of precious material that results from the mating of traditional and timeless elements with new and fresh musical ideas. "This is the process I go through with any record I make, although the process has been more in-depth this time," says Moore. "I've explained it in detail so that people can hopefully learn something from witnessing the steps that I go through. I guess what I've tried to do is pull back the curtain a little bit and show what's going on in my mind as I make a record."

New Orleans based jazz funk drummer Stanton Moore was a founding member of the Â"steamroller funkÂ" band Galactic in the early 1990s, and has dabbled in a variety of progressive jazz projects in the years since. His discography includes two solo recordings (All Kooked Out in 1998 and FlyinÂ’ the Koop in 2001) and a host of collaborative projects, including Garage a Trois, a progressive jazz trio with eight-string guitarist Charlie Hunter, saxophonist Skerik and vibraphonist Mike Dillon. Outre Mer, Garage a TroisÂ’ 2005 release on Telarc, followed a consistently polyrhythmic groove, thanks in large part to MooreÂ’s broad range. Moore steps out on his own again for the aptly titled III, his third solo project. This recording features Robert Walter on organ and Will Bernard on guitar, along with a few special guests: Skerik, and trombonist Mark Mullins. The album was recorded at the legendary Preservation Hall in New Orleans. In the final stretch, Moore pays a solemn tribute to his beleaguered hometown with a three-song suite. It begins with beautiful rendition of South African pianist/composer Abdullah IbrahimÂ’s Â"Water from an Ancient Well,Â" followed by a dark and ominous rendition of Led ZeppelinÂ’s Â"When the Levee Breaks,Â" and closes with the gentle spiritual, Â"I Shall Not Be Moved,Â" a track that suggests perseverance and resolve.

Indeed, Moore is a survivor – literally and artistically. Despite some of his own personal setbacks in the aftermath of Katrina, he continues to channel the muse and explore the remote places where jazz, funk, soul and various other musical strains merge. III is, among other things, a survivor’s tale – a recording that ignores adversity and pursues the creative ideal.

Emphasis (on parenthesis), the followup to III, features this same threesome in a much different creative place. It's clear from the eleven tracks that the trio has achieved a level of cohesion and confidence that no longer requires assistance from any other session guests.

Emphasis (on parenthesis) is full of songs that stick. The set opens with the highly expressive "(late night at the) Maple Leaf," a tune loosely based on an instrumental improvisation that emerged during a gig that Moore and Walter played with bassist George Porter at the famed New Orleans club. "Robert remembered some of the stuff that we improvised - in particular, some of the chord structures that George was messing with at the time. Over time, Robert and I fleshed it out into more of a song."

Tracks like "(proper) Gander" and "(who ate the) Layer Cake?" are more riff-based and driving. "Those songs come from a heavier groove," says Moore. "We all listen to Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, so tunes like these lean more toward our riff-rock roots."

"Wissions (of Vu)" came about as the result of an interesting composing process. Moore and his trio donned headphones in the studio and improvised to the sounds of a favorite track by Wu Tang Clan. "The idea was to come up with parts to a song that would be assembled later," says Moore. "Once I was in the mix-down process, I just stripped away the track we were all listening to and started pulling out the parts that each of us played that I liked. Then I composed all the pieces into an actual song."

"(I have) Super Strength" was built around the exuberant exclamation of Walter's four-year-old son. "While Robert was demo-ing some ideas, his son was running around the house like a superhero," Moore explains. "He kept yelling, `I have super strength!' It made it on the tape, and we all thought it sounded pretty funny. I had Robert loop his son's voice, and then we improvised against that."

This sense of experimentation and exploration has always been the cornerstone of Moore's music, no matter who he's playing with or in what context. But Emphasis (on parenthesis) never loses its connection to its basic three-man core.