Today we’d like to introduce you to Mondre Moffett.
Hi Mondre, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Mondre Moffett. I come from a musical family. My father Charles Moffett was a drummer pioneer of the 1960s free Jazz movement in New York City. His artistic contributions with the famous “Ornette Coleman trio” arguably were important developments in jazz music history particularly as it relates to tone color, improvisation, and musical form. I am essentially a product of those developments.
As a teenager in the 1970s, I toured in the southern part of the United States on what is known as the chitlin circuit performing with Rhythm & Blues bands and great blues artists like Jimmy Witherspoon and others. However, I first emerged on the international scene as a composer and trumpet artist with my family jazz group “The Moffett Family” which was led by my Father and my siblings Charles Moffett Jr., Cody, Charisse, and my youngest brother, the late great bassist Charnett Moffett.
The Moffett Family Band toured worldwide and created landmark recordings primarily for Venus records of Japan, and blue note. I subsequently worked as a trumpeter with the Duke Ellington Orchestra in the mid to late 1990s and was a vital part of a New York City jazz scene performing with a who’s who in Jazz.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
There are always obstacles and challenges that are fundamental to performing Jazz music. The social and political aspects of living in an American society that tends to not support and or celebrate Jazz an art form can be hostile at every turn. I have experienced those proverbial rocky roads as a young artist to numerous to name.
However, musically speaking, my biggest challenge is the discipline and preparation required to perform at the highest level. One of the struggles along the way to making music has to do with the paradox of practicing music on one hand and the other hand, forgetting what you practice to make music.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in music composition. I am currently a music professor at Simmons College of Kentucky, a Historical Black College and University (HBCU). I have always worked as a musician evolving around educational pursuits and community engagement. I have also taught for many years in primary, secondary, and higher educational spaces specializing in improvisational music. I am very proud of my unique lineage.
My story comes from the stories that are passed down to me from my community, my teachers, my mentors, and the spiritual giants whose footsteps I follow. My life works are the oral traditional practices of my family griots and the legendary musicians that put their arms around me.
Legendary musicians such as Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, Art Blakey, Quincy Jones, Robert “Bumps” Blackwell, Grover Washington, Joe Henderson, and many others have poured into me. I am uniquely called to help codify my rich musical lineage and thankful for every opportunity that I have to celebrate my performance tradition.
Contact Info:
- Website: mondremoffett.com
- Facebook: @mondre moffett
