Charles Moffett Family – Vol. 1 (Codaryl)

Charles Moffett got his chops in the 60s and 70s playing percussion on such ridiculously good and ambitious albums as “Four for Trane”, Coleman’s “Town Hall 1962”, and Prince Lawsha’s “Firebirds vol. 1”. Yet, for all his work as a sideman, he didn’t lead much: during these decades his only credits were one LP for Savoy and this private pressed album.

As you might guess from the title, his children fill in the supporting roles, the only exception being the bassist, Patrick McCarthy. His young offspring are a surprisingly assured, tight-knit group driven by the steady beat of daddy Moffett. This is the kind of private press LP you wish every one sounded like, intoxicating for reasons other than the lack of text on the spine.

Every track is a spiritual jazz original. The group’s steely assuredness combined with slinky, sprawling, on the cusp of “out”-ness evokes the better moments of the Strata-East label. There’s some copping of classic moves by Coltrane and Bird, but given the age of the participants, this is hardly surprising and doesn’t detract from the experience. It’s not “Four for Trane”, but a solid listen even for either the jazz traditionalist. The back cover claims the existence of a full 3 more volumes, but there was never a proper release for any of them. Hopefully this will be somebody’s reissue project!