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Charnett Moffett
Charnett Moffett grew up in a musically active household. His father, the renowned jazz drummer Charles Moffett Sr., was a member of Ornette Coleman’s trio of the mid 1960s as well as leader of the Moffett Family Band. (Charnett’s name is a contraction of both Charles and Ornette). As a child prodigy, Charn'ett first appeared on record at the age of seven in 1974 with the Moffett Family Band and the following year toured Japan with the group. After attending Fiorello H. La Guardia H. S. for the Music and Arts in New York City, he studied at Mannes College of Music and obtained a scholarship to study at the Juilliard School of Music. Moffett joined Wynton Marsalis’ quintet in 1983 at the age of 16 and later appeared on the influential, Grammy Award-winning 1985 recording Black Codes From the Underground. During the ‘80s he also worked with guitarist Stanley Jordan, the Manhattan Jazz Quintet and drummer Tony Williams.
In 1987, Moffett signed with Blue Note Records and debuted as a leader that year with Netman, which featured Michael Brecker, Kenny Kirkland, Al Foster, Stanley Jordan and Mino Cinelu. The following year, he recorded Beauty Within featuring his father Charles on drums, older brothers Mondre on trumpet, Charles Jr. on tenor sax, Codaryl on drums and sister Charisse on vocals. Special guests include Kenny Garrett, Bernard Wright and Kenny Drew Jr. and in 1991 with Nettwork, his swan song for the label.
In 1993, Charnett recorded Rhythm & Blood for Sweet Basil’s Apollon Records. A savvy mix of jazz and pop, it placed high on the music charts in Japan that year. Moffett would subsequently score artistic triumphs on the Evidence label with 1994’s Planet Home and 1997’s Still Life featuring keyboardist Rachel Z and drummer Cindy Blackman. Another Charnett recording from 1995, Moffett & Sons, is a collaboration with father Charles that also includes appearances from pianist James Williams, saxophonists David Sanchez, Joshua Redman and Bill Pierce, and trumpeters Wallace Roney and Philip Harper.
In 1996, Moffett appeared on two simultaneous releases by Ornette Coleman’s Sound Museum - Hidden Man and Three Women. Another 1997 recording, Acoustic Trio for Teichiku Records, showcased Charn'ett’s innovative acoustic bass playing. Three other ‘90s recordings for the Sweet Basil/Evidence label were done under the collective name of General Music Project and featured former Miles Davis alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett, pianists Geri Allen and Cyrus Chestnut and father Charles Sr., who passed away before the group could tour together. In 2001, Charnett released a potent recording with Kenny Garrett, pianist Carlos Mckinney and drummer Louis Hayes, Mr. J.P (a tribute to Jaco Pastorius), for the now-defunct Sweet Basil label.
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Charnett Moffett: The Bridge
by Howard Mandel
Solo bass records are rare, and might seem to appeal mostly to bassists and bass aficionados. But on The Bridge Charnett Moffett, the charismatic bass virtuoso with an impressive past and equally brilliant future, has proven here without benefit of a band--that his music can touch anyone who loves music, regardless of instrumentation or genre. Alone with his upright bass, Moffett has created an engaging hour of organic, richly detailed and fundamentally physical sounds. He lays down ...
Continue ReadingTrios, Duos and Solos
by Jerome Wilson
This show focuses mainly on the smallest units of jazz interaction, trios and duos, with a couple of solo performances thrown in along the way. Artists heard on the program include Matthew Shipp, the collective trio Air, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Adam Larson and Bill Frisell. There is also a special mention of bassist Charnett Moffett, who passed away a week before this program originally aired. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete ...
Continue ReadingMaria Schneider, Charnett Moffett and Carl Fischer
by Joe Dimino
We proudly open the 749th Episode of Neon Jazz with veteran trumpeter Carl Fischer and his group TËTI with their take on the classic “What a Wonderful World." From there, we listen to Carl's boss (Billy Joel) doing the “Root Beer Rag" at the New Orleans Jazz Fest. New music is featured from guitarist Daniel DeLorenzo, John C. O'Leary III, Jordan Ferrin and Quinn Sternberg. We say good-bye to a titan of jazz and a wonderful person in Charnett Moffett, ...
Continue ReadingCharnett Moffett: New Love
by Jerome Wilson
If one thing is obvious from this CD, it is that electric bassist Charnett Moffett is a happy man these days. His playing leaps out of the speakers on these tracks with joy and high spirits. That may be because he works here in the company of his “new love," his wife, guitarist Jana Herzen. The two of them bounce, dance and wiggle their instruments together on twelve wide-ranging tracks which take in funk, reggae, folk, and psychedelia, always exuding ...
Continue ReadingPast Grapplin'
by Patrick Burnette
Since the seventies, it's arguable that most jazz musicians work in “old" idioms (even if they mix and match them in new ways), but this episode's artists each take on aspects of jazz's past that seem, well, more past than most. Sometimes the commitment to the older idiom is complete, sometimes it comes and goes, but either way the results are fascinating. Playlist Discussion of Scott Hamilton's album After Hours (Concord) 1:45 Discussion of Evan Arntzen' ...
Continue ReadingDave Bryant: Night Visitors
by Dan McClenaghan
Free jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman didn't record much with piano players. Exceptions were Geri Allen on Sound Museum: Three Women and Sound Museum: Hidden Man, released simultaneously in 1996 on Harmolodic / Verve, and Dave Bryant on Tone Dialing (Harmolodic / Verve, 1995), during Coleman's Prime Time days.Bryant's immersion in Coleman's sound—he has conducted master classes in the alto saxophonist's Harmolodic theory and performance at Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music—lays the foundation ...
Continue ReadingCharnett Moffett: Music From Our Soul
by Dan Bilawsky
Bassist Charnett Moffett is one of those figures that we tend to take for granted, mostly because it seems like he's simply always been here. The once-upon-a-time child prodigy has been omnipresent on the scene since the mid '80s, holding down the low end for jazz's elite while bringing strength, consistency, and creativity to the fore through his bass work. A short list of Moffett's employers and colleagues reads like a jazz history lesson--saxophonists Ornette Coleman and Kenny Garrett, drummers ...
Continue ReadingWill Calhoun - "Life in This World" Album Release at the Blue Note Featuring Marc Cary and Charnett Moffett - Friday, May 17 Through Sunday, May 19
Source:
DL Media
Special Guests Donald Harrison and Nicholas Payton Drummer/percussionist Will Calhoun is set to perform at The Blue Note in New York from Friday, May 17 through Sunday, May 19, with sets at 8:00PM and 10:30PM. The performances will serve as an album release engagement for his new project, Life In This World (available May 14 on Motéma Music). Calhoun will be joined by labelmates bassist Charnett Moffett and keyboardist Marc Cary, as well as special guest saxophonist Donald Harrison. Additionally ...
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Motéma Music Founder And President Jana Herzen Releases "Passion Of A Lonely Heart," A Duo Project With Bassist Charnett Moffett
Source:
Cary Goldberg
Many jazz aficionados only know Jana Herzen as the founder and president of the acclaimed Motéma Music record label. Under her stewardship, Motéma has advocated for visionaries Randy Weston, Monty Alexander, Geri Allen, Rene Marie, Gregory Porter and dozens of other dynamic and virtuosic composer/performers. What many may not realize, however, is that Ms. Herzen, whose initial professional life was in the theater, is a seasoned performer and instrumentalist with quite a talent for writing and performing. In fact, the ...
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Enter the Motema Music "Charnett Moffett - Treasure" Giveaway"
Source:
All About Jazz
All About Jazz members are invited to enter the Motema Music"Charnett Moffett—Treasure“ giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FIVE winners at the conclusion of the contest on August 31st. Click here to enter the contest
(Following Charnett Moffett at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.)
Good luck! Your Friends at Motema Music
About Charnett Moffett and Treasure
For musicians, compositions are precious reflections of the soul—aural snapshots of emotions, reflections and conceptions covering broad swaths of ...
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The Jazz Session #183: Charnett Moffett
Source:
AAJ Staff
Bassist Charnett Moffett grew up in a musical family. Which is to say, his dad played with Ornette Coleman and the whole Moffett family band was touring the world when Charnett was a kid. More than two decades later, Charnett is bringing that family history and his own impressive musical resume to bear on his new album, Treasure (Motema, 2010). In this interview, Charnett talks about the thinking behind this album; his childhood experiences and how they shaped the musician ...
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Bassist Charnett Moffett Interviewed at AAJ
Source:
All About Jazz
"I enjoy all of the music, just as I enjoy different aspects of color in paintings, or different people, or different types of food, or things of that nature. For me, it seems to be a more interesting way of life to have an appreciation for all that is offered on the planet."
With that simple statement, bassist Charnett Moffett says a lot about his career in music that began as young a child, and was pretty much inevitable from ...
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Motema Launches Live Performance Series at Concertino
Source:
All About Jazz
Motema Music & Concertino Productions invite you to a very special evening of acoustic music on June 9th at the Concertino studio featuring the world premiere of the exciting new jazz/world music duo: Jana Herzen & Charnett Moffett
Motema founder, president and recording artist Jana Herzen and Motma recording artist Charnett Moffett will proudly celebrate the completion of their new CD, Here With You, with their debut performance at one of New York City's most acoustically perfect venues.
The Performance ...
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Bassist-Composer Charnett Moffett's "The Art of Improvisation" CD Out Today on Motema Music
Source:
DL Media
"Moffett is a hypnotic performer. Playing the upright and the electric bass and accompanied only by piano and drums, he mesmerizes with a series of propulsive minimalist grooves..." --DETAILS “This spirited and soulful recording comes highly recommended, especially to those who tire of the less substantive, flashy, speed king quotient prevalent in far too many other bassists." --All Music Guide Today, Charnett Moffett releases his 10th solo recording and Motma Music debut as a leader, The Art Of Improvisation. On ...
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Bassist-composer Charnett Moffett Releases "Internet" on Piadrum Records
Source:
All About Jazz
Ever since he made his recording debut at the remarkably young age of seven, Charnett Moffett has been one of the top bassists in the world. Part of a musical family headed by his father the late drummer Charles Moffett and including several siblings, Moffett has had significant associations with Wynton Marsalis, Art Blakey, Tony Williams, Pharoah Sanders, Sonny Sharrock, Ornette Coleman (with whom he played for nine years) and most recently McCoy Tyner. Internet, Moffett's ninth release as a ...
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