  |
|
|
 |
|
CD |
| 5.174 Ft
|
|
| 1. | Smear Spring
|
| 2. | Some Good
|
| 3. | Knew Something
|
| 4. | Real Reason
|
| 5. | King Cobra
|
| 6. | Beautiful Existence
|
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz
Joe Morris - Guitar, Producer
A. Mateur Photography, Cover Photo
Jim Hobbs Sax (Alto)
Luther Gray Drums
Peter Karl Engineer, Mixing
Ralph Gibson Photography
Rui Garrido Design
Timo Shanko Bass
Trem Azul Executive Producer
From the first note, Joe Morris lets you know he means business, as he leads his quartet with singular intensity and astonishing clarity through the lightning-fast opener "Smear Spring," which features blistering, almost crazed improvisations from the guitarist and from the underrated Jim Hobbs on alto sax. Morris is a superb composer, too, as he dishes up generally simple though piercing melodies, some of which, such as the slower, yet bubbly Ornette Coleman-influenced "Some Good" are infused with an attractive bluesy tinge. "Knew Something" flounders a bit, with the guitar solo a bit too long, and the remarkable Hobbs' squawking alto grandstanding to his detriment, though Luther Gray partially redeems the piece with a thoughtful drums solo. With only one horn and rhythm, it would have been easy for Morris to take the easy road by having the sax state the melodies backed by rhythm, but Morris thinks outside the box, and very little of what he creates follows precedent. He prefers the guitar and alto to sing the melody in unison, the guitar acting as a second horn, as the two carefully state the tunes with precise articulation that is a function of supreme musicianship. There are a variety of tempos and moods represented. The leisurely "Real Reason" pairs the sax and guitar in collective improvisation, while the mid-tempo "King Cobra" sports a bluesy sax solo, an up-tempo jazz guitar solo, and a good bass contribution from Timo Shanko. The closer, "Beautiful Existence," parallels the opener with its speed, as guitar, alto, and bass burn with unmitigated alacrity. By the end, it is difficult not to appreciate the unusual talents of Joe Morris, a self-taught prodigy who, as a composer, guitar soloist and leader, once again stamps his imprint on an album that is usually fascinating and exciting, and often beautiful and swinging. ~ Steven Loewy, All Music Guide
Joe Morris
Active Decades: '80s, '90s and '00s
Born: Sep 13, 1955 in New Haven, CT
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Avant-Garde, Post-Bop, Free Jazz, Avant-Garde Jazz
Joe Morris is an uncompromisingly original guitarist following in the tradition of other free-jazz guitar, conceptual innovators like Derek Bailey, Sonny Sharrock, Eugene Chadbourne, and James Ulmer. However, Mr. Morris has developed his own, unique approach to guitar playing, composition, and improvisation which is unlike his peers. He usually incorporates a clean tone of the be-bop lineage for his single-note driven improvisations. His recordings are widely eclectic ranging from solo performances, traditional acoustic settings, and fusion dates to various groups with interesting instrumentation Mr. 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 of 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 Hemmingway also helped Mr. Morris develop his wide musical pallette. In 1975, Mr. Morris 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 Mr. Morris to further develop his own original approach to music making. In 1981 Mr. Morris began his own label, Riti Records (named after an African, single-stringed folk-instrument), to document his prolific musical output. During the 90's he became, arguably, the most widely heralded free-jazz guitarist in jazz while recording with many avant garde luminaries. Mr. 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 such as ECM, Hat Hut, Leo, Incus, Okka Disk, Homestead, About Time, Knitting Factory Works, No More Records, AUM Fidelity, and Omnitone. Also, Mr. Morris has given lectures and workshops for Harvard University, New England Conservatory, Berklee College of Music, and other European universities. Joe Morris recordings can currently be obtained through Cadence/ North Country Distribution or his website at www.joe-morris.com.
---Wilson McCLoy, All Music Guide |
|
CD bolt, zenei DVD, SACD, BLU-RAY lemez vásárlás és rendelés - Klasszikus zenei CD-k és DVD-különlegességek |  | | Webdesign - Forfour Design |
|
|
