New England Conservatory Presents Jazz Vocalist and Pianist Vanessa Morris

Join jazz vocalist and
pianist and NEC faculty member Vanessa Morris as she performs a
selection of original compositions, jazz standards, and spirituals from the
African-American folklore tradition on Friday, May 30 at 8 p.m in NEC’s
Brown Hall, 290 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA. The concert is free and
open to the public. For more information, log on to http://necmusic.edu/vanessa-morris or call
617-585-1122.

Morris’ repertoire is as eclectic as are her influences. Her
duo with Scott Sandvik started as an in depth study of African-American
Folklore, branching from a class that Sandvik taught at NEC. Their
improvisations were based on ear transcriptions of field-recorded a cappella
black folk singing that included “surge” style hymns, spirituals, hollers and
blues.  Their 2002 CD Lead Me To The Rock earned acclaim for its “consummate skill - Scott Sandvik is an outstanding guitar player and
Vanessa Morris is a stunning singer - and deep commitment….great beauty…” —
Musical Traditions Magazine. Since
then, the duo has widened their repertoire, but their approach is the same: in
depth study of whatever style of music or composer has struck their fancy.
Recently this list includes the music of Carla Bley, Harry Nilsson, Nina Simone
and Jack Bruce.

On this concert Morris performs with Sandvik, who
earned his Bachelor’s of Music from NEC 1987 and his Master’s in 1989); as well as alto saxophonist James Merenda, a 1991 NEC graduate and former
leader of the jazz septet The Masked Marvels who currently leads the TickleJuice; trumpeter Tom Duprey who
received his Master’s in Jazz Studies/Composition in 1988 and performs in
TickleJuice with Merenda as well as freelancing widely; guitarist David
Hawthorne who received Master’s Degrees from NEC in 1989 and 1991 (Jazz
Guitar and Classical Violin); as well as bassist Jon Dreyer; and drummer
Miki Matsuki.

Vanessa Morris’ unique sound is a blend of many
influences, ranging from Betty Carter and Nina Simone to Antonio Jobim and Al
Green. Her musical background started with rigorous classical piano
training.  She branched into jazz
during undergraduate studies at Oberlin Conservatory from which she received
her Bachelor’s of Music degree in
piano performance, and continued on this path when she attended New
England Conservatory where she earned her
M.M. and G.D. in Jazz Studies. She
has studied with Sanford Margolis,
Peter Takacs, Ran Blake, Dominique Eade, and John McNeil. Her music is simultaneously laid back and electrically
charged. The softness of her voice at times incongruous with the intensity her
music.

NEC’s Jazz Studies Department was the first fully
accredited jazz studies program at a music conservatory. The brainchild of Gunther
Schuller, who moved quickly to incorporate jazz into the curriculum when he
became President of the Conservatory in 1967, the Jazz Studies faculty has included six MacArthur "genius" grant
recipients (three currently teaching) and four NEA Jazz Masters, and alumni
that reads like a who’s who of jazz. Now in its 44th year, the
program has spawned numerous Grammy winning composers and performers. As Mike
West writes in JazzTimes: “NEC’s jazz studies department
is among the most acclaimed and successful in the world; so says the roster of
visionary artists that have comprised both its faculty and alumni.”  The program currently has 114
students; 67 undergraduate and 47 graduate students from 12 countries. 

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www.necmusic.edu/jazz