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 the moment he appeared on the planet in 1967, as the son of drummer Charles Moffett. He started playing drums at age two, and then investigated the trumpet before he eventually found his hands around an upright bass, performing with the Moffett Family Band, led by his dad, that included brother Codaryl (Cody) also on drums, brother Mondre on trumpet and brother Charles, Jr. on sax. Bass chores were handled by Patrick McCarthy and young Charnett on a half-sized bass.
AAJ Contributor R.J. DeLuke spoke with Moffett about his latest album, The Art of Improvisation (Motema, 2009), his time spent playing with his namesake, Ornette Coleman and other jazz legends including McCoy Tyner and Tony Williams, and how lessons learned from these icons have helped shape his own music.
Check out Charnett Moffett: Improvisational Artistry at AAJ today!
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