Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Charnett Moffett: Music From Our Soul
Charnett Moffett: Music From Our Soul
ByFor this occasion, Moffett assembled a program of music that capitalizes on his many strengths while also highlighting his varied musical exploits and excursions in the present day. There are performances that were recorded live at New York's Jazz Standard, showcasing the trio of Moffett, pianist Cyrus Chestnut, and drummer Victor Lewis; numbers with guitarist Stanley Jordan and drummer Mike Clark that were captured in a live studio setting; recordings from a run of shows at Seattle's Jazz Alley, where Moffett and Jordan combined forces with iconic saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and drumming powerhouse Jeff Tain Watts; and pieces plucked from Moffett's performance at the 40th International Bern Jazz Festival in 2015, featuring a quartet that includes Jordan, Chestnut, and Watts. When taken as a whole, all of it serves as a portrait of an artist in midlifeMoffett turned fifty on June 10, 2017and a statement of dominance from one of the most technically gifted and imaginative bass players on the planet.
The fleet-fingered lines, liquid tone, and harmonic perspicacity that are universally recognized as hallmarks of Moffett's work are all here for the viewing. His massive chops and flexibility are on display on the large majority of these pieces and his rapport with these different groups is evident. He supports Sanders' atavistic wails and exhibits a coiled connection to Jordan on "Freedom Swing," moves from mellow and melodious environs to a bluesy barroom and back again on Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo," hits the gas pedal with Chestnut and Lewis on the feisty "Come And Play," explores pan-African cool on the title track, and gleefully mixes it up with Watts, Chestnut, and Jordan on the rocketing and explosive "For Those Who Know."
Sound quality and balance understandably vary a bit from place to place hereyou can't source an album from three different live venues and a studio without encountering that issue to some degreebut musical quality remains incredibly high throughout. Moffett reached the summit three decades ago and he's still right there, bass in hand and fingers at the ready. He remains a giant on his instrument and a stalwart figure in jazz.
Track Listing
Music From Our Soul; Freedom; Mood Indigo; So What?; Come And Play; Love In The Galaxies; We Are Here To Play; Mediterranean; For Those Who Knowl Just Need Love; Celestial Dimensions; Sound World Suite; Freedom Swing; Love For The People Encore.
Personnel
Charnett Moffett
bassCharnett Moffett: acoustic bass, electric bass; Pharoah Sanders: tenor saxophone (1, 7, 13); Stanley Jordan: guitar (1, 2, 4, 5-10, 12, 13), piano and keyboards (1, 7, 13); Cyrus Chestnut: piano and keyboards (2, 3, 5, 8, 10); Jeff "Tain" Watts: drums (1, 2, 7-10, 12, 13); Victor Lewis: drums (3, 5); Mike Clark: drums (4, 6).
Album information
Title: Music From Our Soul | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Motéma Music
< Previous
Five Women V – Kathleen Potton, Ari...
Next >
Visiting Texture