Moffett, Charles (Mack Sr.)

Moffett, Charles (Mack Sr.), jazz drummer; father of Charnett Moffett; b. Fort Worth, Tex., Sept. 11, 1929; d. N.Y., Feb. 14, 1997. He was best known for his work with Omette Coleman in the mid-1960s. He played trumpet in his high school band, and did nightclub work with Coleman, Jimmy Witherspoon, and other R&B and blues bands around Fort Worth. He studied percussion in 1945. At 19, Moffet was the welterweight champion of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet. After his discharge, he earned a B.A. in Music Education and taught in Tex. high schools for eight years (1953–61), finding time to play with jazz bands and with rock singer Little Richard one year. He moved to N.Y. and joined Coleman in 1961, working with him during the years Coleman shunned public performances. He also performed with Sonny Rollins in 1963, and led a group with Pharoah Sanders, Alan Shorter, and Carla Bley in 1964. Moffet toured and recorded with Coleman and Izenon, including European tours in 1965 and 1966; he left in 1967. He worked with Archie Shepp in the late 1960s and directed music for schools and youth organizations. He moved to Oakland in 1970, where he directed a music school and led two bands; one was a family unit with his children and another comprised his students. He played with Steve Turre, Keshavan Maslak and Prince Lasha before returning to N.Y. During the 1980s and 1990s taught and also played with Frank Lowe, Maslak, and others.

Discography

Beauty Within (1957); Gift (1969). Archie Shepp:Four for Trane (1964). Omette Coleman:At the Golden Circle Vol 1, 2 (1965). Charnett Moffett:Net Man (1976); Nettwork (1991).

—Lewis Porter