About Nate
Born and based in Washington State, Nate Moody is a rising star in composition and jazz bass in the Greater Spokane area. Recognized as an Outstanding Musician at the 2024 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival and a winner of the 2024 Whitworth University Concerto Composition, Nate has distinguished himself with an energetic and melodic style that appeals to both musicians and non-musicians, performing both regionally and internationally.
As both a big band performer, Nate has performed with internationally recognized musicians such as trumpeter Terell Stafford, tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana, and the late guitarist Russell Malone. As a sideman, Nate had played with local Spokane jazz legends such as saxophonist and composer Rachel Bade-McMurphy, composer and trumpeter Jared Hall, and pianist and composer Brent Edstrom.
“Wiggly Lines for Wiggly Air”
As a composer, Nate’s regimented yet emotive and carefree style has garnered acclaim from across the musical spectrum, with inspiration from many different sources, from contemporary jazz, romantic-era symphonies, to modern video game scores. This results in a unique genre of composition that is at once new while being eminently familiar to any listener regardless of background.
Nate’s work is largely programmatic in nature, with the inspiration and imagery of a piece remaining a cornerstone. This includes pieces such as:
- “Alea Iacta Est”, a wind chamber piece comissioned for the 2025 Spokane Youth Symphony Summer Camp
- “Elegy for a Sparrow”, a piece based on his own creative writing works
- “For the Landlocked Sailor”, a flowing dance for string quintet
- “Laniakea”, a work for jazz combo infused with his love for cosmology
- “The Extinction Preludes”, three works for piano inspired by human-caused extinction
Random Questions
Where do you find inspiration for your pieces?
Anywhere I can! Art, in my eyes, is inherently based on reflection, reflecting how we see the world around us. Thus, I do not think there should be an aversion to finding inspiration in the mundane. Write a piece about being bored! Write a piece about your favorite ice cream flavor! Write a piece about a girl you once had a crush on! There truly are no limits to what we can choose as a muse, so why not embrace it?
Why choose to be a composer?
I can’t say it’s anything particularly profound. I am a musician, I like music, and making new music that no one has ever heard before is simply a reflection of that. A chef cooks because they like food. A painter paints because they like art. Simple as that.