James Morrison

James Morrison is a virtuoso in the true sense of the word. Not only is he a brilliant technician on trumpet, trombone, euphonium, flugel horn, tuba, saxophones and piano, he is a musician of startling originality with a genuinely unique and creative voice.

At the age of seven, James 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. When he’d just turned 16, James Morrison debuted in the USA with a breathtaking concert at the Monterey Jazz Festival.

Since then he has played with many of the legends of jazz including Dizzy Gillespie, Cab Calloway, Woody Shaw, Red Rodney, George Benson, Ray Charles, B.B. King, Ray Brown and Wynton Marsalis. He has played at numerous festivals including Montreaux, Pori, North Sea, Nice and Bern and at many of the world greatest jazz clubs including the Blue Note and Village Vanguard in New York, and the New Morning in Paris and Ronnie Scott’s in London.

In his diverse career James has 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.  James Morrison has performed at two Royal Command Performances for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and for Former US Presidents Bush and Clinton at Parliament House in Australia.

In 1997, he was recognised for his service to the arts in Australia and awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia.

James is head of Morrison Records, an independent label dedicated to the best of jazz. He is also the artistic advisor to the Sydney Symphony’s Kaleidoscope series, which has included performances by Chick Corea, Dianne Reeves, Gary Burton and Kristjan Jarvi.

James spends time educating budding musicians, taking master classes and workshops throughout the world and running a jazz scholarship.  An avid user of the latest technology, James uses computers extensively for writing, recording and in performances. He is actively involved in furthering the presence of jazz and music education on the Internet.

When not writing film scores, composing or serving as patron of several youth orchestras, James likes to relax in some fairly unconventional ways, including competing in triathlons, abseiling, flying his private plane and even rally driving. His love of cars is well known, as he was host of the national TV program Behind the Wheel and in 2009, Top Gear.