James Morrison

Known predominantly as a trumpet player, James has been recognised as one of the most accomplished multi-instrumentalists alive in the world today. He has progressed the art of multi-instrumentalism, to a level that has never been achieved before, in the history of Western Music.

James Morrison's career thus far has been diverse and perhaps not typical of most jazz musicians. At the age of seven, he was given his first instrument, at nine he formed his first band and at thirteen he was playing professionally in nightclubs. His international career developed equally as fast.  At 16 years old, James Morrison debuted in the USA with a breathtaking concert at the Monterey Jazz Festival.

Following this were performances at the big festivals in Europe - including Montreaux, Pori, North Sea, Nice and Bern - playing with many of the legends of jazz. Dizzy Gillespie, Cab Calloway, Woody Shaw, Red Rodney, George Benson, Ray Charles, B.B. King, Ray Brown and Wynton Marsalis to name a few. There were also gigs in the world's most famous jazz clubs ' the Blue Note and Village Vanguard in New York, the New Morning in Paris and Ronnie Scott's in London.

He recorded Jazz Meets the Symphony with The London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lalo Schifrin, performed concerts at the Royal Albert hall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden for Princess Anne. Royal command performances on two occasions for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and for US Presidents Bush & Clinton at Parliament House in Australia. In 1997, James was recognised for his service to the arts in Australia and awarded a medal of The Order of Australia.

Apart from touring the world for most of the year James is also head of Morrison Records, an independent label dedicated to the best of jazz.

An avid user of the latest technologies James is very involved in furthering the presence of jazz and music education on the Internet and also uses computers extensively in his writing, recording and performances. He spends much time in education, doing master classes and workshops in many countries and presenting the James Morrison Jazz Scholarship at Generations in Jazz.

Client Ovations: It was great to have an Australian icon with such authority on their subject and the ability to relate to our audience for the opening- we certainly had the WOW factor!

Managing Director, NARTA