Recordings
I’ve posted some recordings of my work here.
A video of “Man Unseen” (Theme) with dance choreographed by Laura Shapiro and performed at Galapagos Art Space in New York city last September is now available on the 60×60 Dance blog.
New article in Leonardo Music Journal
Leonardo Music Journal Volume 18 (2008): Why Live? Performance in the Age of Digital Reproduction
“Structure in the Dimension of Liveness and Mediation”
by Jeffrey M. Morris
ABSTRACT: While technological developments can replace some aspects of live performance, they have also opened a new dimension of musical structure: that of liveness and mediation, which requires live performance in order to be meaningful. Liveness itself can be used and manipulated as a distinct musical element. The author describes these concepts at work in his compositions that explore mediatization as a device of intermedial imitative counterpoint and formal structure.
“Man Unseen” (Theme) included in 60×60 International Mix 2008
This 60-second piece in the style of a 1960’s crime drama theme song was just chosen for the 2008 International Mix of Vox Novus’s 60×60 project. It was also included in the Evolution Mix, which was presented in concert in New York with choreography (see events listing).
RUhere x60 released in the Vox Novus 60×60 CD
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60×60 is a project containing 60 compositions from 60 different composers, where each composition is 60 seconds (or less) in duration. |
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The goal of this project is to highlight the work of a great many composers. The project presents a cross-section of contemporary music, including the various styles, aesthetics and techniques being used by the composers of today. 60×60 is a circle of sound, the 60 pieces represent a slice of the contemporary music scene. The works in this 2 CD volume of the 60×60 project represent the submissions received for the years 2006 and 2007. |
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The mission of the 60×60 project and its presenter, Vox Novus, is to expose the greatest number of composers and their works to the largest audience possible. 60×60 combines grassroots ideology with cutting-edge methods of presentation and distribution. Each year the project grows in artistic and distributive scope. Achieving its initiative, the 60×60 promotes contemporary composition across the globe. Jeff’s RUhere x60 is included in the 2006-07 edition and has already received many performances. Click here for more information. |
Third Prize in UnCaged Toy Piano Competition
Chromatic Greys for toy piano and live electronics was awarded third prize by the five-member jury of the UnCages Toy Piano competition. It wil be performed by Phyllis Chen in the UnCaged Toy Piano Concert September 4, 2008. It will be hosted at the Christopher Henry Gallery, (127 Elizabeth Street, NYC). More information at http://www.phyllischen.net .
Performance Paradigm (# 4) 2008 Emergences: 21st Century Performance
Emergent forms and themes in performance and culture in the first decade of C21 Edited By Peter Eckersall And Helena Grehan Online Now www.performanceparadigm.net PERFORMANCE PARADIGM No 4, 2008. Featuring reviews of recent books by Rustom Bharucha, Mike Pearson, Leslie Hill and Helen Paris and the enormous Performance Cosmology from CPR in Wales. We also have Meg Mumford’s detailed analysis of recent publications on contemporary theatre in Europe by and Maggie Philiips’ discussion of new work by Ramsay Burt . The articles section features new essays from a number of established and emerging scholars in the field. The topic of new forms and paradigms in performance emerges in essays such as Kate Rossmanith’s account of Bio Art, Jeffrey Morris’s discussion of digital music performance and Diana Smith’s account of Sydney based visual artists ‘The Kingpins’. We are especially excited to be publishing Meiling Cheng’s recent exploration of recent performance work in China.
Composing Character Pieces from Poetry with GarageBand
From elementary school through college, music composition and theory pedagogy often focuses on beginning from a set a “safe” rules. While this demonstrates some reasons why familiar music sounds “right,” such exercises rarely produce expressive or interesting music. Such compositions are typically void of dots and accidentals and do not much resemble “real” musical works–something about the musical experience is missing from approaches like these.
You might think of the “safe” approach as setting up such rigid fences for students that it’s hard for the students’ creative though to squeeze through them. “Real” music has irregular rhythms and tonalities, and composers have various reasons for arriving at those results. The following is an approach to creating music that puts the traditional “safe” rules aside and explores other ways of putting music together. By thinking in terms of visual structure, such as motive, gesture, and texture, students can set aside scales and “ti-ti”s momentarily, and create music that is characteristically unlike that resulting from traditional approaches. Traditional structuring principles like scales and simple rhythms can them be used selectively and judiciously to “tame” some parts of the resulting music.
In the process, students rely heavily on listening and spatial reasoning, and they learn not to be afraid of wrong notes and revising. Because the process begins with a poem and includes drawing a graphic score, this project could be tied into learning goals in Reading and Art classes.
Premiere tonight in New York city
Mexico City-based collective Laboratorio 060 performs Morris’s recent work Ancient Chinese Secret for three sudoku and percussion players. It was chosen as the winner in their competition called “Radio Killed the Video Star” and will be broadcast live on the Neighborhood Public Radio station.
Vests frottroir synesthetiques
Vests frottoir synesthetiques is an exhibit of digital sound art objects consisting of two wearable chalkboards that prolong the sounds of drawing through a digital delay, allowing the act of drawing to build up sonic textures over time. This project was completed with the help of Texas A&M University students Chris Harper, Njekwa Beasnael, and Brian Davidson. It is now scheduled for inclusion in a soundOBJECTS exhibit within the Digital Media international showcase of digital art at La Nau in Valencia Spain. It was originally exhibited at Vizagogo, the annual showcase of digital art and commercial work in May 2007 at Texas A&M University. Photos you will see show TAMU VizLab student Doug Bell is seen modeling the vests at Vizagogo.
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