Barbara Morrison Page

BARBARA MORRISON

In 2010, National Public Radio members, listeners and staff voted Barbara Morrison as one of the "50 Greatest Jazz Vocalists," in the November issue of “All About Jazz.” Her melodic voice, with its three-and-a-half-octave range, is known worldwide, as are her rich, unique, soulful and highly spirited interpretations of both, familiar Jazz and Blues classics and original contemporary tunes. A staple on the jazz scene, Barbara Morrison performs frequently with her duo and trio throughout California, and also tours extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Born and raised near Detroit, Michigan, Barbara launched her professional career at age 10 with her first recording for a Detroit radio station. She moved to Los Angeles in 1973 and began to blaze a trail around the globe, delivering performances that keep audiences asking for more.

Barbara has been pleasing audiences and garnering rave reviews for more than three decades. In addition to a long list of her own recordings, she has worked with an A-List of “Who’s Who” in the jazz world. One of the hardest working and busiest jazz and blues entertainers in the business, she has an impressive discography of recordings that include three Grammy nominations and is among the most recorded jazz and blues artists of her generation.
Barbara has a steadily-growing list of accomplishments as a recording artist, with more than 20 of her own albums/CD's that feature a catalog of original compositions, popular standards - some live and some in studio.

Over the years she has performed with a notable artists in the jazz and blues worlds, including legends Gerald Wilson, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Etta James, Esther Phillips, Jimmy Smith, Johnny Otis, Dr. John, Terence Blanchard, Joe Sample, Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams, Tony Bennett, Keb' Mo and many others. Barbara has also guest-starred with the Count Basie Orchestra, the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra and Doc Severinsen's Big Band.

Highlights from her career include a 1995 star-studded line-up television tribute to Ella Fitzgerald where she appeared with Mel Torme, Diane Reeves, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Tony Bennett, Dionne Warwick and Lou Rawls; a 14-city tour with the 1986 Phillip Morris Superband that travelled to Canada, Australia, Japan and the Philippines and included Jimmy Smith, James Moody, Kenny Burrell, Jon Faddis and Grady Tate; and as a co-headliner for a 33-city U.S. tour that featured an all-star tribute to composer Harold Arlen, composer of such standards as Over the Rainbow, Get Happy, Stormy Weather, It’s Only a Paper Moon, and I’ve Got the World on a String.

A partial list of Barbara’s performance include:


Pianists
Hank Jones
Joe Sample
Joel Scott
Cedar Walton

Drummers
Sean Dobbins
Sonny Emory
Paul Humphries
Martin “Smitty” Smith
Lee Spath

Saxophonists
Wilton Felder
Bill Liston
Houston Person
James Moody

Trumpeters
Terrance Blanchard
Carl “Doc” Severinsen
Nolan Shaheed
Clark Terry

Guitarists
Kenny Burrell
David T. Walker
Charles Small
Mark Whitfield

Orchestra Performances
Count Basie Orchestra
The Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra
Ray Charles Orchestra
The Crusaders
Bill Liston Orchestra
Doc Severinsen Big Band

Recorded With
Kenny Burrell
Ray Charles Orchestra
The Crusaders
The Clayton Hamilton Orchestra
Tom Finley
Bill Liston Orchestra
Johnny Otis
Doc Severinsen

World Tour Performances
Crusaders
Phillip Morris w/Kenny Burrell
Jon Faddis
James Moody
Monty Alexander
Slide Hampton
Kenny Washington
Nils Orsted

International Performances
London - Edinburgh Scotland - Australia (Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane) - Norway - Sweden - Stockholm - Finland - France (Paris, Nice, Chedinay and Carrisone) - Poland - Germany (Munich) - Italy (Rome, Florence, Portifino and Cicily) - Austria - Belgium - Japan (Kobe, Tokyo, Isaka and Sappora)

Movies & Television
Fatal Beauty
The Hurricane
Alice Doesn’t Live Here
Television
The Naked Truth
Roseanne


In 2008 she opened the Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center (BMPAC). The 99-seat theatre and adaptable performance space is located in the historic Leimert Park District, the center of the African American arts scene in Los Angeles. BMPAC is alive with music and arts-related programming every day. In 2015, she launched the California Jazz and Blues Museum adjacent to the BMPAC. The two facilities share the following programs:

Harmony Classes for children – An after-school class offering instruments, music lessons, group playing, concert performances, progress and check-ins, field trips, family support and college scholarships. The Los Angeles Harmony project services 2000 students across an area of 120 sq. miles. Youths meet three times a week. CJBM adds vocal instruction, theatre arts, and mentoring programs for all age levels.
Jazz Hot Seat – one-on-one interviews, performance and Q&A with jazz and blues greats. The shows are masterclasses for students, allowing the students to ask questions of guests, who are the very greatest and most regarded performers and creators of jazz and blues. It is an opportunity for artists to give back, while offering precious insights to a new generation of performers. The guests are invited to give short performances.
Vocal Workshop and Classes – conducted personally by Barbara Morrison, a UCLA Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology for 20 years, these classes teach how to: 1) sing jazz standards in various tempos, including ballads, medium swing, fast swing, and bossa nova; 2) improve your stage presence and use of microphone; 3) identify your vocal range most comfortable for singing jazz; 4) distinguish characteristics of early blues singers and their influence on jazz; 5) apply good breath management and tone while singing in a jazz style; 6) strengthen your articulation of song lyrics; 7) use vocal inflections and dynamics appropriately; 8) alter the melodic and rhythmic phrasing in a song; 9) better hear chord changes within a song; 10) identify song forms common in jazz; 11) sing introductions and endings effectively.

First Thursday Blues – This monthly blues concert features great local players and vocalists. First Thursday Blues events showcase different Los Angeles area blues bands, with an emphasis on straight ahead blues of all regional styles. An open jam follows the concert performance. Held at the Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center, the venue features a large stage with outstanding sound and lighting in a concert-like setting.
Open Showcase – This monthly event features music and spoken word at the BMPAC, with a different theme for each month throughout the year. The calendar includes special showcases for individual instruments, vocal stylings, and poetry.
Acting classes - Taught by local Los Angeles industry professionals, students develop a basic understanding of acting fundamentals. Using exercises and scene work, the class introduces students to the elements of dramatic action, text analysis, and character development, as well as the tools for releasing inhibitions and expanding vocal and physical range.
“I Wanna be Loved: Stories of Dinah Washington” - Barbara Morrison relives the stories of the music legend Dinah Washington in an excellently staged performance piece written by Michael Cornier and Ms. Morrison, and directed by Keenan Zeno. Backed by the excellent John Stephens and his 18-piece orchestra, Barbara Morrison embodies the mood and sensibilities of the great Dinah Washington. The show continues to impress audiences and critics alike with its uniquely crafted presentation paying tribute to Dinah Washington, and proving “What a Diff’rence a Day Makes.”
California Jazz and Blues Museum exhibitions – California has long been considered one of the most important jazz locations in music history. The California scene fundamentally changed the way jazz is played, and established California as a center of jazz in America. Some of the most population jazz bands in the world were formed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in California. Some of the best-selling jazz music in the world was created in California, incorporating new approaches and musical techniques from around the world, developing the style of “cool jazz” or “West Coast jazz” movement of the 1940s and 1950s. California jazz and blues music is a goodwill ambassador, known throughout the world. Jazz and blues musicians are also well known for their positions against racial discrimination. The museum features ongoing exhibitions of important historical information about California jazz and blues music, its great performers, and its important place in California and music history.
Annual “Broadway in Leimert Park” event - Celebrate National Jazz Appreciation Month every April with a jam-packed lineup of tributes to all the greats, from Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie to Billie Holliday and Frank Sinatra and beyond. Each show features local jazz and blues performers who'll each take a turn saluting the world's most famous jazz vocalists and musicians. Broadway in Leimert Park is produced by the Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center in conjunction with the California Jazz and Blues Museum in this historic section of the city.