Joe Morris
Joe Morris is an uncompromisingly original guitarist following in the tradition of other conceptual free jazz guitar innovators like Derek Bailey, Sonny Sharrock, Eugene Chadbourne, and James Ulmer. However, Morris developed his own unique approach to guitar playing, composition, and improvisation which is unlike his peers. He usually incorporates a clean tone of bebop lineage for his single-note-driven improvisations. His recordings, like 1993's Symbolic Gestures, 2002's Age of Everything, and 2014's Red Hill with Wadada Leo Smith, are widely eclectic, ranging from solo performances, traditional acoustic settings, and fusion dates to various groups with interesting instrumentation. Throughout his career, Morris has also given lectures and workshops for Harvard University, the New England Conservatory, the Berklee College of Music, and European universities, among others.
Morris spent his formative years in New Haven, Connecticut, where he taught himself the guitar and immersed himself in a variety of progressive musical styles. He spent numerous weekends attending free symphonic productions at nearby Yale University, which included performances by artists as diverse as Karlheinz Stockhausen, Charles Ives, and Duke Ellington. Attention to local AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) members Leo Smith and George Lewis, and a world music radio show presented by percussionist Gerry Hemingway also helped Morris develop his wide musical palette. In 1975, he moved to Boston, where his unique approach was not initially accepted in the then-prevalent modal jazz scene. Despite this temporary setback, and some time spent playing guitar in Europe, he developed a pivotal collaborative relationship with multi-instrumentalist Lowell Davidson, whose unique sound explorations inspired him to further develop his own original approach to music making.
In 1981, Morris began his own label, Riti Records (named after an African single-stringed folk instrument), to document his prolific musical output. During the '90s, he arguably became the most widely heralded free jazz guitarist in jazz, while recording with many avant-garde luminaries. Morris became the first guitarist to lead a recording session for the prestigious Black Saint/Soul Note Records with 1994's Symbolic Gesture, and he has continued to record extensively for many outstanding labels.
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, he has either led or co-led dates for, among others, ECM, Hat Hut, Homestead, Knitting Factory Works, AUM Fidelity, and its Riti Records imprint, and has released no less than 30 recordings. Since 2007, he has been a frequent bassist in pianist Matthew Shipp's groups both on recordings and live. In 2012, he and keyboardist Jamie Saft began collaborating in a number of different settings for Erraldo Bernocchi's and Giacomo Bruzzo's London-based label RareNoise. Their first effort, Black Aces, was issued by their band Slobber Pup, and was followed by two more dates in 2014: Plymouth, with drummer Gerald Cleaver, guitarist Mary Halvorson, and bassist Chris Lightcap in May, and Red Hill, in an improvisational collective assembled by the pair with Wadada Leo Smith and drummer Balazs Pandi in September.
He then joined saxophonist Evan Parker and trumpeter Nate Wooley for the free improvisation set Ninth Square in 2015. The following year, he paired with guitarist Ivo Perelman for the duo session Blue. In 2018, he delivered Ultra, a completely improvised date featuring a small string and piano ensemble.
© Wilson McCloy /TiVo
-
-
Fine Objects
Joe Morris, Peter Cancura, Jason Nazary
Jazz - Paru chez NotTwo le 9 mai 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Atmosphere
Musiques du monde - Paru chez KMB Jazz le 1 janv. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Angels of Love (Original Mix)
Divers - Paru chez Higher Love Recordings le 26 mars 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Complete Recordings 1947-1955
Blues - Paru chez Blue Moon Rhythm & Blues le 1 janv. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Out Right Now (Live)
Joe Maneri, Joe Morris, Mat Maneri
Free jazz & Avant-garde - Paru chez hatOLOGY le 30 janv. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Disco Archipelago
Arp Deco, Joe Morris, Tech Support
Downtempo - Paru chez Shades Of Sound Recordings le 15 avr. 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Take No Notice EP
Électronique - Paru chez Baker Street Recordings le 15 juil. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Love Waves (Original Mix)
Divers - Paru chez Shades Of Sound Recordings le 13 juil. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pacific Dream
Divers - Paru chez Shades Of Sound Recordings le 7 sept. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere
Pop - Paru chez Black Sheep Music le 16 août 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Arctic Sunrise
Dance - Paru chez 793975 Records DK le 9 janv. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
River Of Stars
Divers - Paru chez Shades Of Sound Recordings le 24 janv. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Exotic Remixes
Divers - Paru chez Shades Of Sound Recordings le 6 nov. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Horizons (Original Mix)
Divers - Paru chez Paper Recordings le 28 oct. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cloudy Days Often Have the Best Sunsets (Remixes)
Tom Bruce, HATT.D, Caitlin Medcalf, Joe Morris
House - Paru chez Gallery Recordings le 20 août 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Solar Fantasy
House - Paru chez Shades Of Sound Recordings le 27 sept. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Do You Believe In Magic?
House - Paru chez Shades Of Sound Recordings le 26 juin 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tropical Highway (Original Mix)
Divers - Paru chez Paper Recordings le 10 juil. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Wandcloud City
Électronique - Paru chez CAB26 le 10 avr. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo