Ras Moshe Burnett

rob chalfen & subconscious cafe productions presents

nyc avant tenor monster
RAS MOSHE BURNETT
Ras Moshe Burnett – tenor sax, flute
Damon Smith – bass
Kit Demos – bass
Glynis Lomon – cello
Andria Nicodemou – vibes

RAS pays homage to Coltrane, Albert Ayler, John Gilmore and his other favorites on a permanent basis. He has played with Bill Cole’s Untempered Ensemble, Warren Smith, William Hooker, William Parker and Karl Berger. He definitely believes in the positive effect new music will have on social and personal change. The music is a spiritual and social force. The music is indeed the voice of the people.

https://www.facebook.com/ras.moshe

https://myspace.com/rasmoshe

http://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/rasmoshe

Ras Moshe Burnett (Theodore Burnett III) is a jazz musician, saxophonist, poet, activist and teacher.  He hails from East New York/Brooklyn NY with maternal grandparents who hail from Harlem, NYC.

RAS studied music in the public schools, mentored in jazz history by Don Payne in Junior High. With his father and grandfather, he played in reggae bands in the 80’s and early 90’s, and has led his own jazz groups since 1987.

He is a nine-year member of Bill Cole’s Untempered Ensemble featuring Warren Smith, Joseph Daley, Gerald Veasley, Althea SullyCole and Lisette Santiago.

RAS is the direct heir of a long family jazz performance heritage. His father Yaakov Levi (Ted Burnett II) played alto sax, flute and bass clarinet in the Brooklyn/Harlem area throughout the 70’s.

His paternal grandfather Ted Burnett (“Barnett” professionally) played tenor and alto saxophones in the bands of Chick Webb, Earl Bostic, Lucky Millinder, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Don Redman, Henri Woode and many others after his arrival here from Jamaica in the early 1930’s. Later on in the early 70’s he began writing religious music for the church, most prominently for New Canaan Baptist Church in Brooklyn.

Ras believes in the positive effect that Jazz and New Music can have on personal and socio-political life and also utilizes jazz for social movements in the Black community and human rights causes.

He is currently working toward a music therapy degree in the NY area.