James Morrison (musician)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| James Morrison | ||
|---|---|---|
 James on the cover of his Quartet album.
|
||
| Background information | ||
| Born | November 11, 1962 (age 44) Boorowa, New South Wales, Australia |
|
| Genre(s) | Jazz, Fusion | |
| Occupation(s) | Trumpeter, Multi-instrumentalist, Composer, Arranger | |
| Instrument(s) | Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Saxophones, Piano | |
| Years active | 1979–present | |
| Label(s) | Warner Music, Morrison Records | |
| Website | jamesmorrison.com.au | |
James Morrison AM (born 11 November 1962 in Boorowa, New South Wales) is an Australian jazz musician who plays numerous instruments, but is best known for his trumpet playing. He is a true multi-instrumentalist, capable of performing just as well on the trombone, euphonium, flugelhorn, tuba, saxophone, and piano. He is also a composer, writing jazz charts for ensembles of various sizes and proficiency levels. He performed the opening fanfare at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, and is usually regarded as one of Australia's finest jazz musicians.
Contents |
[edit] Association with other Musicians
James has performed with Dizzy Gillespie (the first Australian to do so), with Don Burrows as a member of the Don Burrows Band, and Ray Charles and B. B. King for a 1990 world tour. He has also worked with the Ray Brown Trio, Wynton Marsalis, Frank Sinatra, Cab Calloway, Woody Shaw, Whitney Houston, George Benson, the Phillip Morris Superband, and Red Rodney. In 2005, he was the guest soloist at the 150th anniversary concert of the Black Dyke Band.
[edit] Background
James comes from a musical family, and his brother John is a top-flight jazz drummer in his own right. In 1983 they formed a 13-piece big band, the Morrison Brothers Big Bad Band. John and James have also worked together on many other projects and recordings.
The discovery and development of young talented musicians has always been important to James. He found his regular vocalist, Emma Pask, at a school concert, aged 16, and she has since gone on to become an internationally renowned jazz singer. James sponsors yearly scholarships for young musicians, and is actively involved with several youth bands.
[edit] Discography
- 2006 - 2x2
- 2005 - Gospel Collection
- 2003 - On The Edge
- 2002 - So Far So Good
- 2001 - Scream Machine
- 1999 - European Sessions
- 1998 - Three Minds
- 1998 - Quartet
- 1996 - Live At The Sydney Opera House - James Morrison With His Big Band
- 1994 - Live In Paris - James Morrison And The Hot Horns Happening
- 1993 - This Is Christmas
- 1992 - Two The Max
- 1991 - Manner Dangerous
- 1990 - Snappy Doo
- 1989 - Swiss Encounter - James Morrison & Adam Makowicz
- 1988 - Postcards From Downunder
- 1984 - Live At The Winery - James Morrison & The Morrison Brothers Big Bad Band
- 1984 - A Night In Tunisia - James Morrison & The Morrison Brothers Big Bad Band
[edit] Instruments
As well as playing instruments, James has also had input into the process of creating them. Yamaha has produced the YTR6335J Morrison Trumpet, the YTR6335JII Morrison Trumpet, and the TR14B4JM James Morrison Signature Mouthpiece. A similar trombone range exists: YSL456GMA and YSL456GJII James Morrison Trombones and the 48JM-GP mouthpiece.
His latest instrument creation project was to work with a designer called Steve Marshall to produce the Morrison Digital Trumpet, a MIDI wind controller that looks and acts like a futuristic version of a regular trumpet. This allows a trumpeter to play electronic sounds in much the same way as a pianist can play an electronic synthesizer.
[edit] Trivia
James famously played the wrong Spanish National Anthem at the Davis Cup Final in Australia. Instead of playing the modern version, James performed the old Fascist anthem not heard since the Franco era, causing the enraged Spanish Prime Minister to walk out in anger. The authorities had sent James a recording of the wrong anthem to learn but managed to salvage the situation by quickly finding the correct one, placating the Spanish and allowing the match to proceed.
