Butch Morris RIP

[david weiss]

I'll miss him.....

One of the first guys I knew out here and always good to me.

Quite a career as well of course.....

[walt]

Damn.

RIP Butch Morris.

[JSngry]

oh no...

[alocispepraluger102]

starting at 6pm eastern standard time tonight, wkcr will remember mr. morris with his music ;

+all day this thursday from midnight.

http://www.studentaf...umbia.edu/wkcr/

as someone said "fuck cancer,"

Edited January 29, 2013 by alocispepraluger102

[clifford_thornton]

Ach.

RIP, Butch.

[colinmce]

One of the total originals.

[BFrank]

A unique talent, for sure.

[king ubu]

very sad news ... haven't explored much of his conductions, but I always enjoyed whatever I heard, also his appearances on cornet.

[Head Man]

What sad news...another one of my heroes gone.

[JohnS]

Sad news. Got to see him with David Murray yeras ago.

[skeith]

I saw several musical events that he was involved in, but I also had a very pleasant nonmusical encounter with him about 10 years ago. I was entering a restaurant on the lower east side of Manhattan with my wife and young son and my eyes spied Butch at another table. It was clear to him that I knew who he was. Later he stopped by our table and said "I just wanted to tell you three what a beautiful family you are" - my mouth literally dropped open - I have never heard nicer words from a stranger in my entire life.

[Hardbopjazz]

Wow, another one.

R.I.P. Butch

[alocispepraluger102]

http://www.greenleafmusic.com/butch-morris dave douglas remembers butch

[Stefan Wood]

RIP

[CraigP]

I saw several musical events that he was involved in, but I also had a very pleasant nonmusical encounter with him about 10 years ago. I was entering a restaurant on the lower east side of Manhattan with my wife and young son and my eyes spied Butch at another table. It was clear to him that I knew who he was. Later he stopped by our table and said "I just wanted to tell you three what a beautiful family you are" - my mouth literally dropped open - I have never heard nicer words from a stranger in my entire life.

What a nice remembrance. Thanks for sharing.

[Pete C]

My remembrance of Butch.

http://petercherches.blogspot.com/2013/01/butch-morris-superconductor-1947-2013.html

[alocispepraluger102]

I saw several musical events that he was involved in, but I also had a very pleasant nonmusical encounter with him about 10 years ago. I was entering a restaurant on the lower east side of Manhattan with my wife and young son and my eyes spied Butch at another table. It was clear to him that I knew who he was. Later he stopped by our table and said "I just wanted to tell you three what a beautiful family you are" - my mouth literally dropped open - I have never heard nicer words from a stranger in my entire life.

What a nice remembrance. Thanks for sharing.

"“I’ll be a jazz musician in other people’s eyes. That’s good enough for me. There’s nothing wrong with being called a jazz musician.”"

[Pete C]

I saw several musical events that he was involved in, but I also had a very pleasant nonmusical encounter with him about 10 years ago. I was entering a restaurant on the lower east side of Manhattan with my wife and young son and my eyes spied Butch at another table. It was clear to him that I knew who he was. Later he stopped by our table and said "I just wanted to tell you three what a beautiful family you are" - my mouth literally dropped open - I have never heard nicer words from a stranger in my entire life.

Wonderful story, and I'm not at all surprised.

[B. Goren.]

Sad to read about his passing.

[skeith]

My remembrance of Butch.

http://petercherches...-1947-2013.html

Great remembrance Pete!

[ep1str0phy]

I never got to play with Butch Morris, but may of my teachers and friends--very many of them--did. I mentioned Dust to Dust during my first encounters with both Myra Melford and Zeena Parkins. I actually can't remember the last time my Facebook home page was deluged with so many moving tributes, and even if you didn't know of Butch, the sheer volume of praise that has been spelled out on his account would tell you that he was someone talented, loved, and hugely important.

I'm sure many of other musicians could probably speak to this sentiment, but it's very difficult to underestimate the importance of conduction to contemporary experimental music(s). I do not overstate the case when I say that every major large group project I've participated in in the past several years--with the exception of the offhand afrobeat big band and one or two jazz/improv big bands, each of which had its own specific modus operandi--has utilized some variation on Morris's conduction system at some point. Maybe it's because I'm in the Bay Area and the Mills influence is viral out here, but this has to be the case with many cells throughout the world. Back when I was studying at Mills, I'd leave a session joint conducted by Fred Frith and Myra Melford--or maybe the occasional recording session with fellow students--everyone using conduction cues--and fly off somewhere, maybe the Guelph festival a few years back, and see Greg Tate shepherding a hybrid of Burnt Sugar and the ICP orchestra through a very rigid exercise in Morris conduction.

I've heard a few people say that conduction is the "future" of improvisation, but caution to say that it's really the "present"--it's a highly effective system for organizing musicians and musical techniques that that are simultaneously increasingly specialized and increasingly versatile. It will also continue to be an invaluable tool for whatever creative music transitions into in the next century or so. No one did it or (maybe) will do it with the rigor and decisiveness that Morris did, and conduction is already being cannibalized into spare tools of the traditional conductor trade. Nonetheless, however you want to read what conduction was, it made a hugely significant impact on the art of improvising, and for that we really should honor him.

[jazzbo]

RIP Butch, a consummate jazz musician. Here's what Dino wrote in his blog: http://jadeane.com/blog/thu-01312013-1050

[skeith]

RIP Butch, a consummate jazz musician. Here's what Dino wrote in his blog: http://jadeane.com/b...u-01312013-1050

That was wonderful Lon .... thanks for sharing that.