Butch Morris Conduction Jazz Radio Show | Free Download

Butch Morris was quite eloquent and specific about what he needed from his music —- He came up in that modernist age where everything always had to be new, and he had enough perspective to see what parts of “new” were useful and what wasn’t —– He worked hard, the conduction method wasn’t born over-night, it took years to develop —- I was lucky to know him from our California days in the 70s —- and J.A.Deane was a close associate of the maestro and lived here in New Mexico at the time, so a radio show with his perspective was within our grasp —- I had interviewed Butch via telephone already a couple times on this Thursday jazz show, and he even called during this broadcast to say Hi and that he was listening in NYC via the Net —- (J.A. Deane was the production engineer for the 10-CD box set TESTAMENT that covered the first 50 conductions. Dino was a participant in many subsequent conductions with Butch performing all over the world. Dino also explored conduction from behind the podium himself when he launched his own long-standing ensemble Out of Context in 1996.) At the time of this radio show we did not know that Butch’s body had been assailed by cancer, nor did Butch. We were innocent that such dire history lay ahead. (Dino & Colleen relocated to Colorado in June 2o14.) — Mark Weber Continue reading

Joe Morris Quartet | Graffiti In Two Parts | RogueArt Jazz

This was the period when the art world was fixated on graffiti artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kenny Scharf, Keith Haring etc. But street graffiti was everywhere back then and much was written about the quality, form and the act of “tagging”. To me, graffiti contained a similar spirit of subversive messaging to that of the music I was making with Lowell and elsewhere. The idea of tagging messages anywhere without permission using a kind of proto-tribal imagery even if was merely a cryptic scrawl had artistic and cultural power to me. The symbolism of the other or indefinable—identified as a name or logo, but otherwise secret—reflected what I sought as a combination of modern and ancient codes in my music using this new material. Being aware of this I decided to organize a concert with the title “Graffiti in Two Parts” meant to display these qualities in sound. This recording is very special to me. It is only the second recording of Lowell Davidson to be released commercially. It represents a special period in my life and work and a unique community of musicians in Boston who did work that has gone mostly unnoticed, not unlike some encoded cryptic scrawl in an alley somewhere. If you listen closely you can hear street noise on the recording. Not planned, but welcome. — Joe Morris, excerpt from the liner notes. Continue reading