Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Charnett Moffett: Music From Our Soul

Charnett Moffett: Music From Our Soul

By Dan Bilawsky
June 20, 2017
View read count

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

saxophone, alto
1930 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Ornette Coleman and

Kenny Garrett

saxophone, alto
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenny Garrett, drummers

Tony Williams

drums
1945 - 1997

" data-original-title="" title="">Tony Williams and

Art Blakey

drums
1919 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Art Blakey, pianists

McCoy Tyner

piano
1938 - 2020

" data-original-title="" title="">McCoy Tyner and

Mulgrew Miller

piano
1955 - 2013

" data-original-title="" title="">Mulgrew Miller, guitarists

Kevin Eubanks

guitar
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Kevin Eubanks and

Sonny Sharrock

guitar, electric
1940 - 1994

" data-original-title="" title="">Sonny Sharrock, and multiple Marsalis men have all called on the bassist at one time or another—but he's not merely a sideman du jour. Moffett has made more than a few splashes on his own, releasing a dozen or so albums as a leader, and he's spent plenty of time headlining at notable venues and events. He's been a musical rock and pillar for the past thirty years, and Music From Our Soul celebrates that fact.

For 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

piano
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Cyrus Chestnut, and drummer

Victor Lewis

drums
b.1950

" data-original-title="" title="">Victor Lewis; numbers with guitarist

Stanley Jordan

guitar, electric
b.1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Stanley Jordan and drummer

Mike Clark

drums
b.1946

" data-original-title="" title="">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

saxophone, tenor
1940 - 2022

" data-original-title="" title="">Pharoah Sanders and drumming powerhouse

Jeff Tain Watts

drums
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">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 midlife—Moffett turned fifty on June 10, 2017—and 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

piano
1899 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">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 here—you can't source an album from three different live venues and a studio without encountering that issue to some degree—but 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.

Learn more about our star rating system

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

bass

Charnett 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: Mot��ma Music

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Five Women V �C Kathleen Potton, Ar...
< Previous

Visiting Texture
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.