Francisco Mora Catlett

LIKE THE MOST ELEGANT HAND-TOOLED WALNUT DASHBOARD ON THE FLIGHT-DECK OF A SPACE SHUTTLE, IS THE SOUND OF FRANCISCO MORA CATLETT. Straight No Chaser, London, UK 1999 ---
---Real to a variant componential history, Francisco Mora Catlett has merged Cuban rhythm, Techno funk, Mexican surrealism, African mysticism, and the Avant-garde to formulate what is uniquely a "New Voice in Jazz".
Mora Catlett comes from a tradition of masterful musicianship. Born in D.C. and reared in D.F., he began his technical training at UNAM's School of Music, while at the same time exercising work with Abe Laboriel and Fernando Baena (Los Profetas) as a recording artist for Capital Records in Mexico. His musical education was further formulated by such greats as Alan Dawson of the Berkley School of Music, who helped to lay down classical Jazz technique, and Babatunde Olatunji, who helped to surface an inherit African awareness.
There on, Mora Catlett embarked on a journey through space, time, and sound with Master Sun Ra and the Arkestra. He disembarked from the ship of Ra's avant-garde voyage to found his own Pa'Lante Productions, rooted in Detroit and devoted to the spread of what Mora Catlett has made the thematic base of his career: "African Presence in the music of the Americas".
His first release, "MORA", a result of polished interactive work with artists such as Marcus Belgrave and Kenny Cox, marked the breaking of ground for future creations. This musical phoenix next received a National Endowment for the Arts grant to study with sound firebird, Max Roach. He appeared on two Blue Moon CDs with Roach's M'Boom, "To the Max", and "Live at S.O.B.'s New York" and contributes composition to The Uptown String Quartet. Here after, he served as a visiting Associate Professor to Michigan State University while maintaining rigorous research efforts in Cuba, where work would be done with such necessary Afro Cuban Folklore components as Afro Cuba de Matanzas.
Mora Catlett's previously invested endeavors in the Detroit community would now be returned in the form of the city's all original gift of Techno. In collaboration with electro-wiz Carl Craig on single Jazz Mix "Bug in the Bassbin", the innovative genre Jazz Electronica emerged and later resulted with the Innerzone Orchestra's full-length debut "Programmed".
Mora Catlett's departure to Detroit's music scene was the creation of "OUTERZONE" Band, coming full force featured on "A Sun Ra Dedication: The Myth Lives On" on Kindred Spirits Recordings.
Also inclusive in his 'must hears' is "World Trade Music" and "River Drum", elegant mixtures of a unique experience with the presence of Africa in the Americas.
Now based in New York City, Francisco Mora Catlett leads and works on creative groundbreaking projects that are being taken to the world music scenario. He is music and tech support for "OYU ORO" Afro-Cuban Dance Ensemble lead by Principal Cuban dancer choreographer "La Mora" Danys Perez; together they premiered her celebrated work "PALENQUE" at La MaMa, etc and continue in 2008 with "RAICES Y ESTAMPAS CUBANAS" and "MAFEREFUN". Member of the Faculty at Tulane University since 2008 "New Orleans Dance Festival". National travel with OYU ORO, performances; San Francisco, Houston International Festival.
His music has been choreographed by Roni Brown for Evidence in New York City, Maestro Eduardo Rivero for Teatro Danza del Caribe in Santiago de Cuba, Ramon Ramos for Alayo Dance Company in San Francisco.
2008 "OUTERZONE" FEATURING: Marshall Allen / Carl Craig / Craig Taborn ,,,,,
Project 2009; "THE AFRO HORN", inspired by Henry Dumas's story "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?", was conceived by Francisco Mora Catlett in Sun Ra's home during his tenure with the Arkestra in the 70's. In this story the Afro Horn is a powerful instrument that unites and completes the circle, bringing new light and life.
NEW CD 2010 AACE RECORDS, "NEW UNDER THE SUN", is now available (AACE 10-0001CD)
Performed by the "FREEDOM JAZZ ENSEMBLE" it features: piano virtuoso FRANCESCO TRISTANO and excelled New York bassist CARLO DE ROSA. Recorded in Brooklyn, compositions by FRANCISCO MORA CATLETT.
BRAND NEW FOR AACE,
OUTERZONE 2010 / ANDROMEDA-M31
FEATURING: John "JD" Allen: Tenor Sax, Graham Haynes: Cornet, electronics, Craig Taborn: Piano, electronics, Val Jeanty: Turn tables, electronics, Guido Gonzales: Trumpet, Tecla Esposito: Electric Keyboards, Rafael Monteagudo: Batas, Afro Cuban percussion, Carlo DeRosa: Bass, Francisco Mora Catlett: Drums
2010, As I was growing up it look that by 2010, people in Planet Earth would have discovered the beauty and the greatness of their home planet, we would have eradicated hunger, poverty, disease and ignorance, we would be a harmonious species that had learned how to exist in the cosmos, a united multicultural life manifesting the diversity of humanity, we would have people living in the Moon and in Mars getting ready for the big intergalactic jump….
2010 will be remember as the year of the Haitian earthquake, the year of the Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano, the year of the great oil spill…
I want to dedicate this music to Planet Earth, to everything it has given us to manifest Life and marvelous beauty, to the precious existence to be part of Life in the Universe…. THANK YOU PLANET EARTH! Francisco Mora Catlett NYC 2010