For the Love of Peace 

Press Release   -   March 8   2004

In an illustrious career spanning virtually his entire lifetime (he began recording at age seven), innovative bassist-composer Charńett Moffett has made significant contributions to the world of jazz in supporting the works of such great artists as Wynton Marsalis, Ornette Coleman, Art Blakey, Tony Williams, Pharoah Sanders, Sonny Sharrock and McCoy Tyner. Moffett’s latest recording as a leader is a family affair entitled For the Love of Peace, featuring Codaryl Cody Moffett on drums and Mondre Moffett on trumpet along with Charisse Moffett on vocals and Angela Moffett adding spoken word on three tracks. A majority of this dynamic Piadrum Records debut focuses on Moffett’s peerless pizzicato playing and bowing technique on the upright bass, culminating in the unaccompanied, uncompromising 10 1/2-minute title track that showcases the depth of his musical vision. Two tracks, the Ornette Coleman flavored “Free Spirit” and “The Movement of Freedom,” feature Charńett playing electric fretless bass guitar.

Embracing the concept of Freedom with Discipline, Moffett’s music is inspiring and reflective, transcending both spiritual and human love. Influenced by Eastern music rooted in his years of touring in the Far East with the Moffett Family Band, and the harmolodic concept developed by Ornette Coleman, whom he has been affiliated with for the past nine years, Charńett lavishes listeners with 14 pieces of challenging, stimulating original music on For the Love of Peace. 

The opening track, “In The Beginning,” was inspired by a type of traditional Hindu music. As Charńett explains, “It starts with the bass playing arco (bowed) that carries the listener to a pizzicato (plucked) solo based on theme of the melody, and the feeling of calm sets in when the ensemble begins.” All the musicians engage in a spirited conversation together on “I Love the Lord” while “Numbers” exemplifies the beauty of the Freedom with Discipline concept, which Charńett describes as a process of “letting each artist express his own lead while accompanying others simultaneously, allowing the mood of the music to change throughout the composition.”  

The lively Ornette flavored piece “Free Spirit,” anchored by Charńett’s agile lines on electric bass, carries a festive feeling of joy and dance. The theme is heard throughout the piece, echoed by Scott Brown’s piano and Mondre Moffett’s trumpet, along with improvised variations of the melody by all the participants. “Go Placidly” is an up-tempo burner with Charńett setting the pace on upright alongside Codaryl’s briskly swinging brushwork as Angela Moffett recites a wise interpretation of life. Charńett refers to the brief, buoyant interlude “The Calling” as “a celestial mood piece” while his bold bowing of the melody on “The Shepherd” and percussive tapping with the bow sets up a hypnotic pulse for a lyrical Mondre flugelhorn solo. “Forgiven,” a solo bass interlude performed pizzicato, segues into the provocative spoken word piece “Who Took My Shopping Cart,” a waltz-time number with words by Jessica Shih written from the perspective of a homeless person and recited by Angela Moffett.

“Prayer” is a solo arco bass interlude which sets up the surging, free-spirited swinger “Spirit of Blues,” featuring some bright trumpet work by Mondre along with some particularly interactive drumming by Codaryl. Charńett and company dip deeply into a harmolodic bag on “Mercy and Grace” and “The Movement Of Freedom,”both of which feature the cohesive, flowing chemistry of the quartet in full stride. And the innovative bassist closes out the collection on a dramatic note with the extended, virtuosic solo bass showcase “For the Love of Peace,” which has three movements that run a gamut of emotions and expression in 10-1/2 minutes.

A compelling statement as well as a manifesto for the bass and the harmolodic principles he has upheld throughout his career, Charńett Moffett’s For the Love of Peace is another artistic triumph in his ongoing pursuit of pure creativity and transcendent musical expression.