Joe Morris / Tony Bevan
Joe Morris - Tony Bevan Northern Tour 2017
June 2017 sees a tour of Scotland and Northern England by two of contemporary music's most distinguished musicians - the legendary American Guitarist Joe Morris, and Britain's Bass Saxophone colossus Tony Bevan. Both have careers that span the decades and include collaborations with such giants as Cecil Taylor, Sunny Murray, Derek Bailey, Anthony Braxton, David S. Ware, Barre Phillips, Dewey Redman, Phil Minton, and too many others to mention.
The two have known each other for many years, and toured and recorded before with the group "Tony-Joe Bucklash" (with Tony Buck and Dominic Lash), but this is their first tour as a duo (although they will be joined by other musicians on certain dates). A unique and unmissable combination.
Dates are: June 9th. The Safari Lounge, Edinburgh. Joe Morris (Electric Guitar), Tony Bevan (Bass and Soprano Saxophones), Adam Linson (Bass, Electronics)
June 10th. The Old Hairdressers, Glasgow. Joe Morris, Tony Bevan
June 11th. The Bridge Hotel, Newcastle. Joe Morris, Tony Bevan + support
June 12th. The Glad Café, Glasgow. Joe Morris, Tony Bevan, Seth Bennett (Bass), Tom Bancroft (Drums)
Downbeat Magazine called Joe Morris “the preeminent free music guitarist of his generation”. Will Montgomery writing in WIRE magazine called him “one of the most profound improvisers at work in the US.”
“Bevan is already a giant of contemporary saxophone” Point of Departure (U.S.A)
Joe Morris is a composer/improviser multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, double bass, mandolin, banjo, banjouke and electric bass. He is also an educator, record producer, concert producer/curator and author. His is considered to be one of the most original and important improvising musicians of our time. Down Beat Magazine called him "the preeminent free music guitarist of his generation . . . ". Will Montgomery writing in WIRE magazine called him “one of the most profound improvisers at work in the US.”
He is originally from New Haven, Connecticut. He began playing guitar in 1969 at the age 14, and double bass in 2000 at the ago of 45. He is self-taught. He cites Cecil Taylor, Eric Dolphy, Leroy Jenkins, Thelonious Monk, Jimi Hendrix, Anthony Braxton, Jimmy Lyons, Ornette Coleman, Albert Ayler, Derek Bailey, Fred Hopkins, Henry Grimes, Django Reinhardt and West African string music as major influences.
He resided in Boston from 1975-1985 and 1989-2001, New York from 1985-1989 and New Haven Connecticut from 2011 to the present. He began his work as an organizer and performance producer/curator in 1976 in Boston. In 1981 he co-founded Boston Improvisers Group (BIG). Since moving to Connecticut in 2001 he has been artistic director for the Just Play series in New Haven (2003/2004), at Firehouse 12 (2005), Real Art Ways in Hartford (2011-present. He was in residence at The Stone NYC for two weeks in January 2013, and for one week in June 2015. In September 2015 he produced the series Arcade, with ten performances scheduled in New Haven. Hartford Cambridge Massachusetts, and Brooklyn New York.
He has performed or recorded with Anthony Braxton, John Zorn, Evan Parker, Matthew Shipp, William Parker, Wadada Leo Smith, David S. Ware, Sunny Murray, Marshall Allen, Joe Maneri, Barry Guy, Tyshawn Sorey, Ken Vandermark, Han Bennink, Barre Phillips, Paul Rutherford, Agusti Fernandez, Nate Wooley, Peter Evans, Gerald Cleaver, Rob Brown, John Butcher, Eugene Chadbourne, DKV Trio, Aaly Trio, Daniel Carter. Rashid Bakr, Wilbur Morris, Dewey Redman, Lawrence "Butch" Morris, Andrew Cyrille, Kidd Jordan, Alvin Fielder, Ikue Mori, Zeena Parkins, Tim Berne, Fred Anderson, Ivo Perelman, Andrea Parkins, Hamid Drake, Thurman Barker, Fred Hopkins, Bern Nix, Joe McPhee, Billy Bang, Lowell Davidson, Peter Kowald, Simon Fell, Roy Campbell Jr, Raphe' Malik, Whit Dickey, Sabir Mateen, Mark Dresser, Gerry Hemingway, Warren Smith, Time Berne, Suzie Ibarra, Mat Maneri, Thurston Moore, Alex Ward, Jamie Saft and many others. He has also performed as a member of William Parker's Organic Ensemble, Pipeline 2000, Jim Hobbs Ghost Band, Alan Silva's Celestial Communications Orchestra, Simon Fell Orchestra, Agusti Fernandez Celebration Ensemble, and in a large ensemble led by Leroy Jenkins. He currently leads various groups including Abstract Forest, a 20+ piece improvising ensemble, Go Go Mambo, Joe Morris Quartet, Mess Hall, Sonic Axis, Plymouth, as well as performing solo, in duos and as a freelance guitarist and double bassist.
He is featured as leader, co-leader and sideman on 116 recordings to date. In 1983 he founded RITI records and released his first recording “Wraparound” In 2014 he founded Glacial Erratic records. Many of his recordings as a leader have been named among Writer's Choice (best of the year) in the Village Voice, Chicago Tribune, Wire, Coda, and Jazziz and on Free Jazz.org, All About Jazz.com. He was the first guitarist to lead a session ("Symbolic Gesture" 1994) on the Soul Note/Black Saint Label. In addition to his own Riti Records, he has recorded for the labels AUM Fidelity, Thirsty Ear, Ayler, Knitting Factory, Okka Disc, OmniTone, Avant, Incus, Hat Hut, ECM, Leo, Homestead, NoMore, About Time, Clean Feed, Skycap and Rogue Art, Rare Noise and Cuneiform.
In 2016 he received the Killam Visiting Scholar Award from the University of Calgary Alberta. He was nominated for a 2001Cal Arts Alpert Award. He was the recipient of a Meet the Composer grant in 2004.
In 2012 he published the book Perpetual Frontier: The Properties of Free Music (riti pub)
He has performed workshops and master classes in a wide variety of settings throughout North America and Europe. He has taught improvisation and/or guitar on the faculty at Tufts University Experimental College, Southern Connecticut State University, and New School University. He has been on the faculty in the Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation Department at New England Conservatory since 2000 and on the faculty in the Modern American Music Department at Longy School of Music of Bard College since 2006.