Charles Moffett

Charles Moffett senior ( born September 6, 1929 in Fort Worth, Texas, † February 14, 1997 ) was an American jazz drummer.

Moffett began his musical career as a trumpeter; As a teenager he joined inter alia, Jimmy Witherspoon on. After his studies he worked from 1953 to 1961 as a high school teacher in Texas. He then went to New York City, where he worked with Sonny Rollins, Eric Dolphy and Archie Shepp ( Four for Trane ) and led his own band, the Pharoah Sanders and Carla Bley belonged. Between 1965 and 1967 he was with David Izenzon member of the trio of Ornette Coleman, with whom he was very active also on tour, recorded several albums, and has collaborated with Yoko Ono.

In 1970 he went to Oakland, where he headed a school of music and performing with Steve Turré and Prince Lasha. Later he worked in New York with Frank Lowe. He worked on more than fifty albums. With him as a leader was released in 1969 the album The Gift, on which he can also be heard as a trumpet player and vibraphonist, and the 1975 album The Moffett Family, which he recorded with his sons. Later he also appeared with Keshavan Maslak, Misha Mengelberg and John Lindberg, and with Don Cherry and especially Sonny Simmons.

His children are all known as a jazz musician: Charnett Moffett on bass, Mondre Moffett on trumpet, Charles Moffett Jr. as a tenor saxophonist, a drummer and Charisse Codaryl Moffett Moffett as a singer.