Joe Morris EncountersJoe Morris Encounters

Joe Morris first performances in Japan! Trio and duo improvisations. Trio: Joe Morris (g), Jim O’Rourke (cb), Yamamoto Tatsuhisa (ds) Duo: Joe Morris (g), Akira Sakata (as, cl, vo) Artist Information: Joe Morris  He began playing guitar in 1969, double bass in 2000. He co-founded Boston Improvisers Group (BIG) in 1981, then started Riti Records and released his first recording in 1983. He cites Cecil Taylor, Eric Dolphy, Leroy Jenkins, Thelonious Monk, Jimi Hendrix, Anthony Braxton, Jimmy Lyons, Ornette Coleman and traditional West African string music as major influences. He has performed and recorded with many of the leading figures in free music. Morris has performed extensively throughout North America and Europe. He currently leads various groups and performs in collective ensembles, as well as performing solo, and as a freelance guitarist and double bassist. He is featured as leader, co-leader, and sideman on more than 120 recordings to date. In addition to his own Riti Records, he has recorded for Soul Note, AUM Fidelity, Incus, Hat Hut, ECM, Clean Feed, ESPdisk, and many more. He is the author of the book, Perpetual Frontier: The Properties of Free Music. He is currently on the faculty at New England Conservatory, and Longy School of Music of Bard College. [Joe Morris Homepage](http://www.joe-morris.com/) Joe Morris photo by Peter Gannushkin [downtownmusic.net](http://downtownmusic.net) Jim O'Rourke  Born 1969 in Chicago. O’Rourke encountered the music of Derek Bailey as youngster and began visiting him in London at the age of 13. Eyes opened to the power of improvisational guitar, he released several of his own highly experimental works and has worked closely with John Fahey and Loren Mazzacane Connors. During his long association with the Chicago experimental and improv scene O’Rourke participated in several bands and projects including Gastr Del Sol and Loose Fur. His work with Takehisa Kosugi music director of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company as well as Tony Conrad, Arnold Dreyblatt, Christian Wolff and others built bridges between contemporary and popular music. O’Rourke’s release of landmark albums Bad Timing and Happy Days in 1997 and Eureka in 1999 garnered much attention. From 1999 to 2005 he was a member of Sonic Youth, playing bass, guitar and synthesizer as well as recording and mixing the band. In 2004 he won a Grammy Award for his production of Wilco’s A Ghost is Born. O’Rourke has also earned a loyal following for his participation in numerous albums by various artists around the world. He has a deep knowledge of Japanese culture and currently lives in Tokyo. Some of his many production credits in Japan include Quruli, Kahimi Karie, and Eiko Ishibashi. He also continues to be a consummate collaborator, working with Akira Sakata, Merzbow, Yoshihide Otomo, Seiichi Yamamoto, Boredoms and others. His recordings of Toru Takemitsu’s Corona for pianists Tokyo Realization was awarded the Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival Award for Excellence in 2006. He has also scored films by Werner Herzog, Olivier Assayas, Shinji Aoyama, Koji Wakamatsu and others. His own short films have been part of the 2004 and 2006 Whitney Biennial and the 2005 Rotterdam Film Festival. O'Rourke is a diverse and powerful artist. Always searching, his borderless activity goes beyond the common labels Alternative, Post-rock, Experimental-pop, Film music, Free music, Jazz, Americana, Contemporary music and continues to defly classification. Photo: Ujin Matsuo Tatsuhisa Yamamoto  Kafka's Ibiki​ photo by Ujin Matsuo Akira Sakata  Born in Kure-city, Hiroshima in 1945. Studied marine biology at Hiroshima university. Formed a group Saibo-bunretsu (Cell fission) in Tokyo in 1969, and was also performing with various free-jazz musicians during this time. Since the late 1960s, Sakata has been a constant figure in jazz and creative music scenes as an ever evolving and adventurous, multi-instrumentalist, and member of classic groups such as Yamashita Yosuke Trio, from 1972 till 1979, and Wha-ha-ha plus many of his own, like the Sakata Akira mii. He has recorded with Chris Cosey, Peter Brotzmann in Last Exit, DJ Krush, Yoshimio, and others. In 2005 he began peforming with guitarist Jim O'Rourke, drummer Chris Corsano and acoustic bassist Darin Gray. They've since released three albums together. [Akira Sakata homepage](http://www.akira-sakata.com/) Related Events: November 23 (Mon) Sound Live Tokyo [New Sound Sanctuary Live Performance](http://www.sdlx.jp/2015/11/23) Live: Joe Morris SOLO, Masami Tada, and more! Open 18:00 / Start 18:30 at SuperDeluxe [event INFO](http://www.sdlx.jp/2015/11/23)