Charnett Moffett Trio Set To Release Live EP Following Internationally Acclaimed “New Love” (Motéma Music)

Veteran bassist Charnett Moffett is following up his June album New Love with the release of a Live EP this October 22, 2021. Originally recorded at Yoshi's on July 25, 2021, Charnett Moffett Trio: Live, features vocalist Jana Herzen and drummer Corey Garcia.

Out on Motéma Music:  DIGITAL EP: “LIVE” drops 10/22/21  |  SINGLE: “Summertime” Out Now! 

“The interplay of this trio is stupendous and breathtaking.”

– JAZZ’N’MORE (Switzerland)

Renowned jazz bass virtuoso Charnett Moffett is set to release his first live trio recording in October, furthering an exciting, unpredictable and richly artistic jazz journey featuring guitarist/vocalist Jana Herzen with drummer Corey Garcia.  The chemistry of this trio has deep roots. Moffett has collaborated with Herzen for over 12 years now, and Garcia has joined them for many live performances since 2018 and recorded with them on Herzen’s 2021 Live quintet album produced by Moffett, and also on Moffett’s internationally acclaimed studio project, ‘NEW LOVE’, released by Motéma in June 2021.  

“Whatever the musical moment, there’s a tight synchronicity at play.”

– DOWNBEAT

Recorded at Yoshi’s on July 25th, 2021, CHARNETT MOFFETT TRIO: LIVE features Moffett’s legendary virtuosity on both fretless and fretted electric basses, Herzen’s warmly nuanced guitar and vocal musicality, and drummer Corey Garcia’s melodic, symbol-driven swing in a vibrant program of concert highlights that opens with an outstanding rendition of the Gershwin classic “Summertime” and journeys through four exceptional Moffett compositions (two reprised from New Love, and two which make their debut on LIVE).

“There’s something special whenever Charnett Moffett and Jana Herzen play music.”

– AMERICAN SONGWRITER

The musical marriage of Moffett’s long-seasoned bass artistry with Herzen’s instinctive yet refined guitar work and signature warm vocal sound, has inspired repeated press observations about a certain “magic” that arises when these two make music together. Whether performing together in their eclectic duo project, or in Herzen’s folk/rock/jazz projects, or in Moffett’s ensembles which fuse free-jazz, swing, post-bop, world, classical and psychedelic rock, the pair are gaining increasing acclaim as partners who complement each other on the front line.  While each of their projects has its own merits, Moffett’s power trio featuring Herzen and Garcia hit a special vein of jazz gold on the first five tracks of his trio/quartet project ‘New Love’ prompting critics on both sides of the Atlantic to call out this trio’s exciting chemistry.

The trio’s artistic connection becomes even more evident in live performance as Herzen and Garcia instinctively turn-on-a-dime together in response to Moffett’s creative and rapid-fire mercurial lead.    Moffett, who’s storied career includes collaborations with many of the world’s greatest jazz artists including drummers Charles Moffett, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones and Tony Williams realized a long-standing dream in assembling and grooming this trio. In 2018 he  discovered a valuable gem in the young, deep-swinging and sensitive drummer Corey Garcia who’s musical lineage as a protege of Eric McPherson, primed him well to learn Moffett’s musical language fluently. (McPherson, was a protege of Moffett’s father Charles, whom the famed bassist to this day claims as his most important influence.)  Charles Moffett was not only a great jazz drummer, he was also a multi-instrumentalist who innovated in Ornette Coleman’s 1960’s trio and went on to become an influential music educator who notably groomed Charnett and his sibs into The Moffett Family Band, a 1970’s phenom that first rose to fame in Oakland, California with an 8 year old Charnett charming crowds as he grooved hard on both upright and electric basses.

As for Herzen, although an accomplished thespian and singer/songwriter for over 35 years, and the legendary label leader of Motéma Music for the past 18 years, it was Moffett who first encouraged her to stretch out as a jazz instrumentalist by inviting her to play guitar in his band in 2018. No one was more surprised than Herzen to discover her talents in this arena, but to Moffett it was a natural choice to add her on guitar as the two had developed their own musical language over the many years that she had supported his artistry at Motema, and he had supported her artistry by playing bass on her acclaimed singer/songwriter recordings.

“[Herzen’s] feather-light guitar proves to be the ideal sparring partner for this music”.

– JAZZTHING  (Germany)

“The pair put out a rich sound full of spirituality and positive emotion.”

– ALL ABOUT JAZZ

Due to the nature of this trio, and his choice to select and groom these particular musicians, the dual legacies inherited from his namesakes Charles Moffett and Ornette Coleman (Char-Nett) showed up more palpably on NEW LOVE than on his prior albums, and became even more pronounced at Yoshi’s as Moffett’s instinctual showmanship led the trio on a new adventure that he looks forward to continuing.  

The EP opens with a unique and beautiful free-form rendition of the Gershwin classic “Summertime” featuring Jana Herzen’s soulful angelic voice flying heavenward as it entwines around, dances with, and is lifted up by Moffett’s dramatic and melodic bass lines. 

Next is “Remembering Your Love,” a spiritual, danceable and swinging new  ‘jazz standard’ with a Brazilian/Latin tinge penned by Moffett and Herzen on which Herzen’s rich vocals ride the syncopated inter-locked swing of the bass, drums and guitar. Midway, the instruments engage in some fun call-and-response interplay. 

A spontaneous trio rendition of Moffett’s “Flying in the Air,”a composition which debuted on New Love, follows next.  In this live version, Moffett begins with a freely improvised raga in D that expands in several directions before suddenly morphing into the “Flying in the Air ” theme at the 2:25 mark. The spirituality and showmanship flowing through this track, and throughout the set can be recognized, in part, as a legacy of Moffett’s seven years in the trio of the great McCoy Tyner, one of the most successful runs in jazz. 

Moffett’s spirited Ornette Coleman inspired composition “Higher Dimensions” in true harmolodic form, (or perhaps we should say “Charmelodic” form) is also reprised from New Love and takes on entirely new dimensions in the live setting. Moffett uses effects and a Wah-Wah pedal to emit his signature ‘voice-like’ sound from the fretless bass; Herzen improvises long soaring guitar lines in counterpoint to his high octane bass; Garcia swings with power and finesse throughout and takes a fantastic solo feature. 

Closing out the program with fire and passion is “Inside Outside,” Moffett’s newest composition. Using multi-effects, he delivers a fretless bass opus that only he (with this trio) could deliver.  The driving synchronized theme takes off with power then quickly evolves into a freely-improvised modal excursion. Moffett’s bass romps through multiple realms from nursery rhymes to overdrive outer-space sci-fi sounds to high speed funk thumping and plucking. All the while Herzen’s sustained melodic guitar joins with Garcia’s driving swing symbols to provide a harmonic and rhythmic framework to both contain and elevate Moffett’s firework improvisations. 

“Engaging… feels connected to bands like Mahavishnu Orchestra and the ’70s work of artists  like Pat Metheny and Larry Coryell.”

– ALLMUSIC.COM

In a Moffett show, the band never knows what will happen next, a trait he first picked up from his days with free-jazz innovator and Pulitzer Prize winner, Ornette Coleman. “One time Mr. Coleman rehearsed us for a month on one set of compositions, then threw them all out at show time handing us an entirely new set to play!” The “surprise the band” at any moment approach ensures true improvisation on the band stand, and evokes fresh playing. It also requires fearlessness on the part of the band and is certainly not for the faint of heart!

“Moffett’s fretless electric bass is a remarkable lead instrument”

– ★★★★ – JAZZWISE (UK)

1. Summertime

2. Remembering Your Love

3. Flying in the Air

4. Higher Dimensions

5. Inside Outside

Charnett Moffett: Fretless Electric Bass

Jana Herzen: Electric Guitar/Vocals

Corey Garcia: Drums

PREORDER

Charnett Moffett - New Love (June 11, 2021 motéma music)

Fretless electric bass master Charnett Moffett delivers a love letter to humanity with his new trio/quartet album, New Love. Further refining his signature and virtuosic sound in collaboration with his skilled and fearless ensemble, Moffett's twelve original tracks range boldly through contemporary-, free-, soul-, and world- instrumental jazz while he also breaks new ground as a vocalist/lyricist with a spiritual message.

With intensely engaging dynamism: the album one-moment swings with passion and fervor -  evoking Moffett's early years with Tony Williams, Ornette Coleman, Wynton Marsalis, McCoy Tyner .. - and the next moment swirls with contemplative beauty as Moffett spreads his message of joy and love.

1. Swinging in the Realms

2. We Remember

3. Little Flowers

4. Today

5. Higher Dimensions

6. I Didn't Know

7. Flying in the Air

8. ETQ

9. New Love

10. Spirit & Bride

11. Love for the People

12. Rejoice

Pre-order

Jihye Lee Orchestra - Daring Mind (March 26, 2021 motéma music)

Motéma Welcomes Jihye Lee Orchestra; Sophomore Album Daring Mind out on March 26, 2021

Motéma Music is proud to announce the release of Daring Mind, the sophomore album by the Jihye Lee Orchestra, which streets on March 26, 2021. Produced by Lee, in collaboration with the innovative composer and Secret Society bandleader Darcy James Argue, and with renowned trumpeter Sean Jones as a key contributor, Lee’s Motéma debut showcases the South Korea native’s personal and adventurous storytelling approach to large-ensemble jazz over the course of nine spellbinding compositions. 

As a  follow up to her widely-acclaimed 2017 debut April, Daring Mind presents selections from Lee’s ‘Mind’ Series, including her BMI Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize-winning “Unshakable Mind” and her Manny Albam Commission “Revived Mind.” The album reflects her struggles, doubts, joys, and hopes while living in the amazing city of New York. The compositions explore the human mind, heart and soul, the various states of the human psyche from confusion to rage to enlightenment. 

Lee describes composition as a form of record-keeping for herself, as the documentation of her life, the process of finding musical equivalents to the images, thoughts and emotions in her mind. She writes first and foremost for herself, to release her feelings, which makes her music deeply personal. “My goal is to invite listeners into my creative world, to relate to my stories, and to reflect on the truth that as humans, we share similar struggles and triumphs regardless of where we come from. It is my hope that we can create genuine connections with each other through art,” she says. 

A native of South Korea, Lee had no jazz or classical training growing up, and she first found success in Korea performing as an indie pop singer. She graduated from Dongduk Women’s University with a degree in Voice Performance, discovering her love of large-ensemble jazz only after beginning her studies at Boston’s Berklee College of Music in 2011. Confidently she began to explore her own identity and voice within this exciting, historically rich medium, winning Berklee’s Duke Ellington Prize just months after declaring her Jazz Composition major (and again the following year). Though she could never have anticipated this new path, she has followed it to greater heights, moving to New York in 2015 and earning a master’s degree at Manhattan School of Music under the guidance of the great Jim McNeely. “Her music is imaginative and creative.” says McNeely. “And she’s not afraid to take some exciting chances in her writing.” 

Navigating the transition from pop singer to jazz composer has given Lee a different angle on jazz composition, providing her not only with a lyrical melodic sense but also a way of imagining characters in every composition, and writing memorable themes with which people can identify. Her first instinct is not to find chords and melodies — Lee is not herself an instrumentalist — but rather an idea, image or message, and then find a way to express it through musical elements. All of this and more is realized on Daring Mind.

Daring Mind begins with “Relentless Mind”, which emulates the bustle of New York City with its twisted rhythmic feel and repetitive notes. Featuring Sean Jones and trombonist Alan Ferber, the vibrancy and beauty of a pre-COVID city that never slept is on rich display in this dazzling opener. Following is “Unshakeable Mind”, winner of the 2018 BMI Charlie Parker Composition Prize. Inspired by the competitive environment of the New York music scene and the effects it has on one’s own psyche, “Unshakeable Mind” explores the nature of a determined and persevering spirit, with strong solo and ensemble support from alto saxophonist Ben Kono. The gorgeous “Suji” comes next. Written for one Lee’s dearest friends, this bright composition features only major chords played through chamber-like instrumentation. Kono once again plays a leading role here, as does pianist Adam Birnbaum. 

Gears shift on the fourth track, “I Dare You”, which was commissioned by American entrepreneur Matt Mullenweg. “Since I am not a traditional swing big band style composer, sometimes I face the famous question ‘what is jazz?’” states Lee. That same question arose in an interview with Wayne Shorter by Max Dax in 2014, and his answer is “To me, jazz means: “I dare you!’” This is the title of this song and in many ways the inspiration of Lee’s entire approach to jazz. “I believe that jazz is not a style or genre, but a daring spirit, being creative by cultivating your instincts.” Tenor saxophonist Quinsin Nachoff shines on this track which is full of sonic surprises. 

The BMI Manny Albam Commission piece “Revived Mind” showcases soloist Mike Fahie on trombone. This colorful composition is an homage to nature and Earth, to rebirth and rejuvenation. Track 6, “Struggle Gives You Strength” was originally written for Carnegie Hall’s NYO Jazz and once again features Sean Jones. On this uplifting and inspiring composition, Lee comments:  “Struggle is an essential part of life and it molds us into beautiful individuals with character.” 

The final third of Daring Mind features the bluesy “Why Is that” with solos by Jones and alto saxophonist Rob Wilkerson; the dissonant tri-tone filled odyssey “Dissatisfied Mind” which ruminates on the negatively that can intrude ones’ thoughts; and “GB”, a stunning closer inspired by love found and lost. Highly cinematic, the beauty and joy of happy memories slowly gives way to crushing breakdown, before reluctant acceptance sets in. As an aspiring film music composer, this vivid track particularly showcases Lee’s great potential in that arena. 

With the release of Daring Mind, Jihye Lee makes a major statement that will likely propel her, deservingly, to the top echelon of contemporary jazz composers and bandleaders. Late last year, it was announced that Lee earned a 2021 ASCAP Foundation & Symphonic Jazz Orchestra commissioning prize, further defining a clear next step in her bright future. The first single “Struggle Gives You Strength” will be released on February 5th, and the second single, “Revived Mind” will release on March 5th.

1. Relentless Mind (feat. Sean Jones, Alan Ferber) 6:18

2. Unshakable Mind 9:57

3. Suji 8:53

4. I Dare You 5:49

5. Revived Mind 6:44

6. Struggle Gives You Strength (feat. Sean Jones ) 5:57

7. Why Is That 5:50

8 Dissatisfied Mind 5:54

9. GB 9:24

Ben Kono: Alto Saxophone

Rob Wilkerson: Alto Saxophone

Quinsin Nachoff: Tenor Saxophone

Jeremy Powell: Tenor Saxophone

Brian Pareschi: Trumpet

Sean Jones: Trumpet

John Lake: Trumpet

Alex Norris: Trumpet

Mike Fahie: Trombone

Alan Ferber: Trombone

Nick Grinder: Trombone (All tracks except 2, 5)

Mark Patterson: Trombone (tracks 2, 5)

Jennifer Wharton: Trombone

Adam Birnbaum: Piano (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9)

Haeun Joo: Piano (tracks 2, 5, 8)

Sebastian Noelle: Electric Guitar

Evan Gregor: Double Bass

Mark Ferber: Drums

Pre-order

Stefon Harris + Blackout - Sonic Creed (MOTEMA MUSIC 2018)

The album is Stefon Harris and Blackout’s first recording since Urbanus (which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Album in 2009), and 2004’s Evolution. The conception and birth of Sonic Creed came about as a result of Harris bursting with this music, this sound, and this album, inside of him. “What pushes me to release a new album is the answer to the question, if I don’t record this music will the sound of this music exist in the world? And if the answer is no, then we have to go into the studio!”, said Harris.

Sonic Creed is about music that chronicles the story of a people and their time on earth. It aims to be a reflection of African American life in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. And, it is a sonic manifestation and creed of family, community and legacy. “These core assets of the Black community are the messages of Sonic Creed, and we honor our legacy by exploring the music of masters such as Bobby Hutcherson, Abbey Lincoln, Wayne Shorter and Horace Silver. Their music is timeless and is the literal aural expression of those community assets”, said Harris.

The album therefore serves as a representation, through Stefon Harris and Blackout’s existence and experience, of Black American life in the present. “I want to document our time on the planet in the here and NOW! What is the sound of ‘Black Lives Matter’ for example? What is the sound of electing the first African American President of The United States? What is the sound of right now? This is what I’m interested in Blackout representing and reflecting. It’s art for our sake”, stated Harris.

Gilad Hekselman - Ask for Chaos (MOTEMA MUSIC 2018)

GILAD HEKSELMAN'S passionate artistry and complexity are at the forefront of his new album ASK FOR CHAOS. Named Rising Star guitarist in 2017 by DownBeat Magazine, on his sixth album he combines his melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic expertise, bringing together his two touring bands – his acoustic-based gHex Trio, and his electric-leaning ZuperOctave. The result is his most compelling and innovative sound to date.

ASK FOR CHAOS features Gilad with two exciting formations taking turns as they perform ten new and original Hekselman compositions.

ZUPEROCTAVE is: Gilad Hekselman: Guitar/Bass, Aaron Parks: Synths/Rhodes/Piano and Kush Abadey: Drums/Pads.

While the

GHEX TRIO is: Gilad Hekselman: Guitar, Rick Rosato: Bass & Jonathan Pinson: Drums.

1. Prologu0001101

2. VBlues

3. It Will Get Better

4. Tokyo Cookie

5. Stumble

6. Milton

7. Home to You

8. Little Song For You

9. Clap Clap

10. Do Re Mi Fa Sol

Donny McCaslin - Blow. (MOTEMA MUSIC October 5, 2018)

As the bandleader on David Bowie's final album Blackstar, saxophonist Donny McCaslin collaborated with the Starman to carry forward his penchant for reinvention. With his upcoming studio album — a daring fusion of vibrant electronica, and bombastic art-rock due this fall — McCaslin applied that mindset to his own work, pushing his music in a bold new direction. Propulsive and improvisational alternative music combines with a heady blend of vocals, saxophone and flute, pianos and Wurlitzer, electric bass and pummeling drums that captures McCaslin's core roots while also bringing in more recent influences such as Radiohead and Bon Iver.

Digital Album

1. What About the Body

2. Club Kidd

3. Break the Bond

4. New Kindness

5. Exactlyfourminutesofimprovisedmusic

6. Tiny Kingdom

7. Great Destroyer

8. The Opener (feat. Sun Kil Moon)

9. Beast

10. Tempest

11. Eye of the Beholder

BLOW. - LIMITED EDITION CLEAR VINYL LP

10/5/18 Release Date - available now for preorder

Limited Edition Clear Vinyl version, (being released simultaneously with CD and Digital versions,) includes full lyrics plus a collectible art-poster featuring cover art designed by David Calderley of Graphic Therapy (Beck, Tall Heights, Imagine Dragons, V2 Music Group…)

Deva Mahal releases new single "Fire" / Enter pre-save contest + win merch, vinyl & more! (MOTEMA MUSIC 2018)

PRE-SAVE CONTEST

> ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN <

Enter the 'Run Deep' pre-save contest and show tix, vinyl, merch + more!

Handwritten lyrics

Signed 'Run Deep' vinyl

Deva Mahal hoodie + t-shirt 

Signed CD

Signed poster

Skype Q&A

2 tickets to NYC album release show at NUBLU 151 (March 27)

All entrants will get an exclusive preview 

of three unreleased tracks from the album!

** Contest ends when album is released on March 23

NEW SINGLE "FIRE" now available

ALBUM RELEASE SHOW

@ NUBLU 151, NYC

MARCH 27, 8PM

> GET A SIGNED CD + TICKET TO THE SHOW <

> GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS <

On Tour

March 17th @ Miles Davis House Showcase at SXSW

March 21 @ Banlieues Bleues Festival, Paris, FR

March 27 @ NUBLU 151 (Album Release Event), NYC 

April 21 @ Exit 0 Jazz Festival, Cape May, NJ

May 16 @ Rich Mix, London UK

May 17 @ Norfolk & Norwich Festival, Norwich, UK

June 24 @ Saratoga Jazz Festival, Saratoga Springs, NY

Aug 1 @ Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA

DEVAL MAHAL DEBUT ALBUM

"Fabulous..." - Elton John

"Fantastic..." - RuPaul 

"Thunderous modern soul." - Okayplayer

devamahal.com

David Murray (feat. Saul Williams) - Blues for Memo (MOTEMA MUSIC 2018)

The new album from jazz innovator David Murray and acclaimed actor/poet Saul Williams ‘Blues for Memo’ is out now. This album is a  powerful, political expression of the blues, paying homage to a pioneer of Istanbul’s jazz scene, Mehmet “Memo” Uluğ, inspired further by the legendary conductor/cornetist Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris and poet Amiri Baraka.

Buy

Joey Alexander - Eclipse (MOTEMA MUSIC May 4, 2018)

This sophisticated yet explorational recording features bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Eric Harland with guest appearances on three tracks by saxophonist Joshua Redman. Recorded in Woodstock on August 21, 2017, the day of the solar eclipse, the track “Eclipse” became the centerpiece of the album. The musicians’ spontaneous expression of their experience viewing this rare astronomical event signifies Alexander’s movement into a freer expression.

1. Bali

2. Faithful

3. Draw Me Nearer

4. Moment's Notice

5. Blackbird

6. Eclipse

7. Fourteen

8. The Very Thought of You

9. Space

10. Time Remembered

11. Peace

Buy

Kneebody: Anti-Hero (MOTEMA MUSIC 2017)

With a constantly evolving sound that incorporates electronic music, rock and hip-hop, Kneebody has established themselves as one of the most forward-looking groups in jazz. Following their groundbreaking 2015 collaboration with IDM innovator Daedelus, the GRAMMY-nominated quintet bring raw energy, churning backbeats, and unrestrained exploration to their latest offering, Anti-Hero.

01 For the Fallen

02 Uprising

03 Drum Battle

04 Antihero

05 The Balloonist

06 For Mikie Lee

07 Profar

08 Carry On

09 Yes You

10 Austin Peralta

Ben Wendel (sax)

Shane Endsley (trumpet)

Kaveh Rastegar (bass)

Adam Benjamin (keyboards)

Nate Wood (drums)

Joey Alexander - Joey.Monk.Live! (MOTEMA MUSIC 2017)

In celebration of Thelonious Monk’s centennial, Joey Alexander performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room in June of 2017. The resulting live album, Joey.Monk.Live! captures Joey’s trio, with bassist Scott Colley and drummer Willie Jones III, exploring Monk’s music in imaginative and deeply-felt ways. In solo, duo and trio performances, Joey pays tribute to the pianist and composer who first made an impression on him and who still serves as a guiding inspiration.

1. Round Midnight

2. Evidence

3. Ugly Beauty

4. Rhythm-a-Ning

5. Epistrophy

6. Straight No Chaser

7. Pannonica

Joey Alexander: piano

Scott Colley: bass

Willie Jones III: drums

Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet - Jersey (MOTEMA MUSIC 2017)

As both leader and collaborator, the versatile drummer Mark Guiliana spends much of his time exploring jazz’s fascinating fringes, producing some of his best music in the place where EDM and free-improv intersect.

He first rose to prominence as a member of bassist Avishai Cohen’s trio, in which he contributed deft yet highly emotive drum work to acclaimed albums such as Lyla (2003) and Gently Disturbed (2008). Later, as the leader of the jazz trio Heernt, Guiliana released Locked In The Basement, which found him pivoting toward a style he called “experimental-garage-jazz.”

With 2010’s Beat Music, Guiliana honed in on a crisp and intelligent electro-jazz sound that would become an integral facet of his jazz identity, one that he would develop further alongside pianist Brad Mehldau on 2014’s Mehliana: Taming The Dragon. And in 2016, he famously served as the drummer for the backing band on David Bowie’s final album, Blackstar, in a combo led by tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin.

With his latest album, Guiliana returns home—in more ways than one. Due out Sept. 29 on the Motéma label, Jersey finds the drummer at the helm of a straightahead jazz quartet featuring saxophonist Jason Rigby, pianist Fabian Almazan and bassist Chris Morrissey. What’s more, the program presents original music by Guiliana and his collaborators in an entirely acoustic environment, a tactic that, for Guiliana, presented both opportunities and obstacles.

“For the band, this lineup presents the challenge: How creative can we be inside this box?” said Guiliana in a press statement. “How much freedom and experimentation can we find? ... I have to say that it’s always so exciting to hear the guys play this music in ways I never could have imagined.”

The album is also a tribute Guiliana’s geographical roots. Born and raised in 1980 in Florham Park, New Jersey, Guiliana first discovered jazz in high school through his first drum teacher Joe Bergamini, and later graduated from William Paterson University in Wayne. He held longtime residences in Jersey City and Hoboken, and now resides in Madison with his wife, singer Gretchen Parlato, and their toddler son.

On Jersey, the acoustic setting serves as an incubator for Guiliana’s rhythmic creativity and technical facility. Case in point is the title track, which DownBeat is premiering below. Listen with careful attention to the tenor saxophone solo by Rigby, and notice how Guiliana’s skittering snare work and punchy toms add an almost phosphorescent sheen: READ MORE...

1. inter-are 04:35

2. Jersey 06:18

3. Our Lady 06:21

4. BP 03:07

5. Rate 00:52

6. September 04:15

7. Big Rig Jones 06:07

8. The Mayor Of Rotterdam 06:49

9. Where Are We Now? 08:30

Released September 29, 2017 

Jason Rigby - Tenor Saxophone 

Fabian Almazan - Piano 

Chris Morrissey - Bass 

Mark Guiliana - Drums 

Vocals on "Where Are We Now?": Gretchen Parlato, Jeff Taylor, Jason Rigby, Fabian Almazan, Chris Morrissey, Mark Guiliana & Marley Guiliana 

Produced by Mark Guiliana 

Recorded October 27-28, 2016 at The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn, NY 

Recording Engineer: John Davis 

Assistant Engineer: Nolan Thies 

Mixed by John Davis 

Mastered by Alex DeTurk at Strange Weather Recording Studio, Brooklyn, NY 

“Jersey,” “Rate,” “September” and “Big Rig Jones” written by Mark Guiliana (HEERNT Music, BMI) 

“inter-are” written by Mark Guiliana (HEERNT Music, BMI) and Gretchen Parlato (Gretchen Parlato Music, ASCAP) 

“Our Lady” and “The Mayor of Rotterdam” written by Chris Morrissey (BMI) 

“BP” written by Rich Hinman (ASCAP) 

“Where Are We Now?” written by David Bowie (Nipple Music, BMI, administered by RZO Music, Inc.)

Charnett Moffett - Music from Our Soul (MOTÉMA MUSIC 2017)

1. Music From Our Soul

2. Freedom

3. Mood Indigo

4. So What

5. Come and Play

6. Love in the Galaxies

7. We Are Here to Play

8. Mediterranean

9. For Those Who Know

10. Just Need Love

11. Celestial Dimensions

12. Sound World Suite

13. Freedom Swing

14. Love for the People Encore

For his 30th Anniversary as a recording artist, Charnett Moffett delivers a far-reaching set of his distinctly original jazz featuring an all-star cast of long-time collaborators from his distinguished career. 

Featured artists (in varying trios and quartets) 

Pharaoh Sanders (tenor sax)

Stanley Jordan (guitar and piano)

Cyrus Chestnut (piano and keyboards)

Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums)

Victor Lewis (drums)

Mike Clark (drums)