Daniel Moretti

Professor

Affiliated Departments

Contemporary Writing and Production (CWP)

Berklee Online

dmoretti@berklee.edu

617-747-8453

Daniel Moretti's website

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Dan Moretti is a professor in the Contemporary Writing and Production Department at Berklee College of Music. He was awarded the 2006 Curriculum Development Award for the on-campus version of the Arranging Contemporary Styles course. Moretti is a saxophonist and flutist, composer, producer, and audio engineer. He has produced and recorded 17 world releases as a leader. His last five CDs have been in the top 40 charts in the United States.

Moretti is a MacColl-Johnson Fellow, awarded in 2010 for “The Journey,” a recording of his original music that he produced with the Piccola Orchestra La Viola. He has toured throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Africa, presenting educational seminars and performing as a leader and a sideman. In 2015, he toured again with Nile Rodgers, the legendary producer and guitarist whose credits include Daft Punk, David Bowie, Madonna, and Duran Duran. His influences, ranging from jazz and classical to funk and Latin jazz, come from his experience performing and recording with artists such as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, the Temptations, Mike Stern, Dave Samuels, David Liebman, Marvin Stamm, and the Crusaders.

Courses Taught (4)

Groove Writing

CW-171

Studio Writing and Production for the Recording Studio

CW-333

Mixing Concepts and Applications for Writers

CW-361

Advanced Production for Writers

CW-422

Career Highlights

Saxophonist, flutist, composer, and producer
Released international recordings as a leader with Blackhawk Records, Par Records, 1201 Music, Whaling City Sound, and Roots Grooves Records
Recordings with Don Braden, the Crusaders, Mark Egan, Steve Khan, Dave Liebman, Dave Samuels, Oscar Stagnaro, Mike Stern, and Mark Walker
Performances with Solomon Burke, Ray Charles, Jimmy Cobb, George Duke, Cornell Dupre, Aretha Franklin, Omar Hakim, Chaka Khan, Kid Rock, David Liebman, Les McCann, James Moody, Stevie Nicks, Robert Plant, Nile Rodgers, and Steve Winwood
Voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences
Member of American Federation of Musicians Local 198
Artist and clinician for Yamaha Saxophones and Vandoren Reeds/Mouthpieces
Numerous international performances and seminars

In Their Own Words

"We want Contemporary Writing and Production graduates to be strong enough to work within any professional environment. We would like them to be able to say, 'Yes!' to anyone who wants a project written, arranged, or produced in a contemporary music setting. I try to give students the life skills to allow them to do anything in the music world."

"The CWP curriculum has been totally honed and revamped over the last 15 years. It's very current. It's not just based on current music, but it's very current on all the levels of writing and production. The faculty members are the best I've been associated with, in terms of the broad spectrum of abilities and writing talents. And with more than 4,000 students from all over the world, there is an incredible network."

"In Introduction to Writing and Production for the Recording Studio, students have three projects. Two of them, a jingle and a song, happen in a real recording studio. They're writing all the charts, and they're doing demos. We go to a real studio, and the teachers hire really good players. They have to make a multitrack recording and then take it home and mix it."

"I created a Groove Writing class, which I thought would be a great way to build a vocabulary of styles. My teaching approach in this class is to explore the Afro-European mix in the Western hemisphere and demonstrate how that influenced the development of contemporary music as we hear it today."

"I love to learn new things. Because things are always evolving, I try not to be repetitive and have my classes be exactly the same every semester. Inevitably, I learn something from the students. It's more of a cooperative experience. I still practice every day and study with master teachers. I want students to have that same love, and if they get inspired about learning and inspired about the material, then they're going to want to develop in their lives and keep growing."