Throughout his 25 years on the scene, Charnett Moffett has been a man on a mission. As he states,"I'm trying to bring people together on the planet through music. That's part of my calling here in life." That sentiment, coupled with his extraordinary virtuosity on the bass, has resulted in a string of superb outings as a leader as well significant contributions to stellar recordings by such jazz luminaries as Ornette Coleman, McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock and Wynton Marsalis. On The Art of Improvisation, his 10th as a leader, Moffett explores his creative muse with a pure, free-spirited approach on his three chosen instruments -- upright bass, fretless electric bass guitar and piccolo bass.

Charnett Moffett's Biography

Throughout his 25 years on the scene, Charnett Moffett has been a man on a mission. As he states,"I'm trying to bring people together on the planet through music. That's part of my calling here in life." That sentiment, coupled with his extraordinary virtuosity on the bass, has resulted in a string of superb outings as a leader as well significant contributions to stellar recordings by such jazz luminaries as Ornette Coleman, McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock and Wynton Marsalis. On The Art of Improvisation, his 10th as a leader, Moffett explores his creative muse with a pure, free-spirited approach on his three chosen instruments -- upright bass, fretless electric bass guitar and piccolo bass. "Each is a separate voice," explains the innovative, multi-directional bassist and prolific composer. "And when I incorporate the bow or a wah-wah or distortion effects, I can channel even more voices."

Moffett is joined by different special guests from track to track throughout The Art Of Improvisation, including drummers Will Calhoun and Eric McPherson, keyboardist Scott Brown, guitarists Pat Jones and Steve Barnes and trumpeter Robert Joseph Avalon. Angela Moffett appears on the stirring rendition of "Dreams," reciting the inspiring words of poet Langston Hughes. His son, Charnett Max Moffett, also appears on drums on "Dreams" while the father-son duo is showcased on "Swing Rock" and on the dynamic closer, an electrifying, Hendrix-inspired interpretation of "The Star Spangled Banner." 

"I'm just trying to be true to form," Moffett says of this highly eclectic outing. "All you can do is be who you are anyway, so you might as well go ahead and play all of the music that you enjoy. There's a lot of great music out here on the planet. We should use all of it."

Charnett explains that the opening free jazz blowout "Dreams" was inspired by Ornette Coleman's double quartet on the landmark recording Free Jazz. "I wanted to create an atmosphere on that piece which was similar to what I had experienced with him in his Sound Museum band. The other idea behind the piece is you really try to dream whatever your mission is in life, to make the atmosphere work in a more cohesive place. As jazz artists we all have a responsibility, just as doctors and politicians have their responsibilies. It's our job to make sure we're continuing to stimulate the thought process for human beings so that we enlighten our awareness and challenge ourselves to new horizons through different elements of sound." He adds that the spoken word piece from the Langston Hughes poem in this tune is a message "about being tied into the American Dream and to continue to dream as a human being regardless of who you are."