Biography

Early years

James Lloyd Morrison, was born on 11 November 1962 in Boorowa, a rural farming community where his father, George Morrison, was a Methodist minister. Morrison comes from a musical family: his mother plays alto sax, piano and organ, his sister is a trumpeter, and his older brother, John Morrison, is a jazz drummer. The family relocated to various sites in New South Wales, due to his father's ministry, before settling in Pittwater. From the age of seven Morrison practised on John's cornet.

Morrison attended Mona Vale Primary School and Pittwater High School, then he enrolled at Sydney Conservatorium of Music where he completed a jazz course. While at the conservatorium he met Don Burrows, who became his mentor. By February 1981 Morrison was a faculty member at his alma mater.

Morrison Brothers

Main article: John Morrison (drummer)

In 1983 Morrison and John formed a 13-piece group, Morrison Brothers Big Bad Band. By March 1984 their line-up included Morrison on trumpet, trombone and piano, John on drums, Warwick Alder on trumpet, Paul Andrews on alto saxophone, Tom Baker on alto and baritone saxophones, Peter Cross on trumpet, Glenn Henrich on vibraphone, Jason Morphett on tenor saxophone, and Craig Scott on bass. Michael Foster of The Canberra Times reviewed a performance at Llewellyn Hall, where the ensemble provided "a stomping, laughing, audience-whistling affair" and found " is uninhibited in its attitude but disciplined in its craft".

The group issued their debut album, A Night in Tunisia, in 1984, on ABC Records as part of the series: Don Burrows Collection. The title track is a jazz standard by Dizzy Gillespie; another track, "Burrows Bossa", was written by Morrison. Also that year he backed Burrows on Burrows at the Winery, providing trumpet, slide trumpet, trombone, and flugelhorn. The album had been recorded live at Rothbury Estate Winery. Morrison Brothers Big Bad Band used the same venue for their album, Live at the Winery, Foster noted that it "features some of Australia's best playing some great tunes, proves yet again the power, the presence, that can be generated by Australians playing jazz".

Morrison and John have also worked together on other projects and recordings.

Association with other musicians

Morrison has performed with Dizzy Gillespie (the first Australian to do so); with Don Burrows, and with Ray Charles and B. B. King for a 1990 world tour. He has also worked with Ray Brown, Wynton Marsalis, Graeme Lyall, Frank Sinatra, Cab Calloway, Jon Faddis, Woody Shaw, Whitney Houston, Arturo Sandoval, Phil Stack, George Benson, Mark Nightingale, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones and Red Rodney.

In 1999, he collaborated with Gina Jeffreys and The Idea of North on the song "Blue Christmas", which is included on Jeffreys' album, Christmas Wish.

In 2005, he was the guest soloist at the 150th anniversary concert of the Black Dyke Band and in 2007, he again appeared as guest soloist at concerts with the band in Manchester and London. In 2003 he founded the band On The Edge together with the German keyboarder and composer Simon Stockhausen (CD released on Morrison Records).

Morrison has also had a long association with composer and pianist Lalo Schifrin (of Mission Impossible fame) and has recorded a number of CDs for Schifrin's "Jazz Meets the Symphony" series. These include recordings with the London Symphony and the Czech National Symphony.

The discovery and development of young talented musicians is important to Morrison. 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. Morrison sponsors yearly scholarships for young musicians, and is actively involved with several youth bands. His association with Generations in Jazz has spanned three decades and he is now Chairman of this organisation which runs one of the largest youth jazz events in the world.

Radio and TV presenter

Main article: Top Gear Australia

For a number of years, Morrison has been the presenter of the in-flight jazz radio station for Qantas Airways. In 1994, James presented Behind The Wheel, a motoring television series on Network Ten. Ten saw the benefits of a series like this and commissioned 18 episodes. It aired on a Tuesday night at 7.30pm to an audience of 2.1 million viewers. The pilot episode was produced by Tim Kupsch - Producer (ex 60 mins producer) Andy Wallace and James Morrison. Unlike Top Gear, the show ideas and script were largely conceived "on the fly" by James and Tim.

On 19 December 2008, presenter Charlie Cox announced his departure from Top Gear Australia due to lack of time. Morrison replaced him in the second season, alongside Warren Brown and Steve Pizzati. He had appeared as the "Star in a Bog-Standard Car" in episode 6 of the first series.

Instruments

As well as playing instruments, James Morrison has also had input into the process of creating them. In early 2010 he formed an association with Austrian brass manufacturer "Schagerl" and they have produced a number of "signature" models. These include two series - the custom, hand-made "Meister" series and the intermediate professional "Academica" series. There are trumpets and trombones in both series and the Meister series also includes a flugel horn and bass trumpet.

His new design is a trumpet called "The Raven". The horn is unique for using rotary valves with a long lead pipe normally associated with a piston trumpet.

An earlier instrument project with designer and robotics expert Steve Marshall, produced the Morrison Digital Trumpet, a MIDI wind controller that looks and acts like a futuristic version of a regular trumpet. It allows a trumpeter to play electronic sounds in much the same way as a pianist can play an electronic synthesizer.

In addition, Morrison has broadened his love of musical technology to include vocal performing. On his collaboration album The Other Woman which features singer Deni Hines, he wrote a track called '(Tired Of Being) the other woman'. When Morrison performed this track at a performance in Sydney, he revealed his latest piece of music technology. It is a Roland keyboard (VP770) that has a microphone attached and 'sings' whatever Morrison speaks into the microphone - producing the sound of a choir.

Recording studios

Morrison has also built his own recording studio, located in Sydney. The studio has recorded a number of Australian jazz musicians including Dan Clohesy, Jake Barden, Don Burrows, Liam Burrows, John Morrison, The Swing City Big Band, The Generations In Jazz Academy Big Band, Graeme Lyall and more. The studio has 5 different recording rooms.

Spanish National Anthem

Morrison played the wrong Spanish National Anthem at the Davis Cup Final in Australia in 2003. Instead of playing the current anthem, La Marcha Real, he performed the Himno de Riego, not heard since the Second Republic era, causing the enraged Spanish Secretary of State for Sport to walk out in anger. Morrison later revealed he had mistakenly learned the incorrect tune due to being given the wrong sheet music. Fortunately an official quickly found a CD of the correct anthem, placating the Spanish and allowing the match to proceed.

Awards and honours

On 9 June 1997 James Morrison was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia with a citation "for service to music, particularly jazz, and the sponsorship of young musicians". At the ARIA Music Awards of 2010 Morrison and the a capella group, The Idea of North, won Best Jazz Album, for their collaboration, Feels Like Spring. Morrison was nominated in the same category in 1992 for Manner Dangerous, 1993 for Two the Max (collaboration with Ray Brown), 2002 for Scream Machine, 2008 for The Other Woman (collaboration with Deni Hines), and 2012 for Snappy Too. On 2 May 2013, at the Australian Jazz Bell Awards, Morrison was inducted into the Graeme Bell Hall of Fame.

In addition to Being made a Doctor of Music (Honoris Causa) by the Edith Cowan University and a Doctor of the University by Griffith University, Morrison is also an Adjunct Professor of the University of South Australia and a Vice Chancellor's Professorial Fellow.

Personal life

James Morrison met Judi Green, the 1987 Miss Australia winner, at a barbecue prior to both participating in a celebrity race at the Adelaide Grand Prix. The couple were married in 1988 and are the parents of three boys.

Discography

• 1984 - A Night in Tunisia - James Morrison & The Morrison Brothers Big Bad Band
• 1984 - Live at the Winery - James Morrison & The Morrison Brothers Big Bad Band
• 1988 - Postcards from Downunder
• 1989 - Swiss Encounter - James Morrison & Adam Makowicz
• 1990 - Snappy Doo
• 1991 - Manner Dangerous
• 1992 - Two the Max
• 1993 - This Is Christmas
• 1994 - Live in Paris - James Morrison and The Hot Horn Happening
• 1996 - Live at the Sydney Opera House - James Morrison with his Big Band
• 1998 - Quartet
• 1998 - Three Minds
• 1999 - European Sessions
• 2001 - Scream Machine
• 2002 - So Far So Good
• 2003 - On the Edge - with Simon Stockhausen
• 2005 - Gospel Collection
• 2006 - 2x2 - James Morrison and Joe Chindamo
• 2006 - Gospel Collection Volume II
• 2007 - Christmas
• 2007 - The Other Woman - James Morrison and Deni Hines
• 2010 - Feels Like Spring - James Morrison and The Idea of North
• 2010 - Three's Company - James Morison with Phil Stack and James Muller
• 2011 - Snappy Too - James Morrison plays a whole big band with Jeff Hamilton on drums.
• 2012 - Live at Edge - James Morrison performs classic gospel hymns live with the Edge Church musicians.
• 2013 - World's Biggest Orchestra - James Morrison promotes and conducts the world's biggest orchestra.
• 2014 - A to Z of Jazz

As sideman

With Don Burrows

• Burrows at the Winery (1984)

With Lalo Schifrin

• More Jazz Meets the Symphony (Atlantic, 1993)
• Firebird: Jazz Meets the Symphony No. 3 (Four Winds, 1995)
• Metamorphosis: Jazz Meets the Symphony#4 (Aleph, 1998)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]