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Dave Morgan

Composer, bassist, teacher

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Dave Morgan Releases Blue Is More Than A Color, a Celebration of Jazz in Akron

Dave Morgan and Being Time Records are happy to announce the release of Blue Is More Than A Color. The recording shines a light on the history of the creative jazz scene in Akron, the current renaissance centered around the Blu Jazz club, and the brilliant young musicians who are choosing to base their lives and careers in Akron and Northeast Ohio. Blue Is More Than A Color was made possible by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as part of its Knight Arts Challenge. The Knight Arts Challenge funds the best ideas for engaging and enriching the city of Akron through the arts.

The recording features Jack Schantz, Director of Jazz Studies, and several alumni of the University of Akron including Nathan-Paul Davis, Chris Coles, Tom Reed, Sam Blakeslee, Jason Hadgis, and Theron Brown. Guest soloists include Pete Mills, Howie Smith, Chris Anderson and Dave Kana.

The recording features several pieces with an Akron connection. “Coisa Nova” was commissioned by the University of Akron and Marci Paolucci, and premiered at the 2018 JazzFest, in celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the Jazz Studies program. The piece is dedicated to the late Roland Paolucci, founder of the University of Akron jazz program, Director Emeritus of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, and mentor and friend to many of the musicians on the recording. “Jungian Slip” was part of a suite commissioned by the 2012 University of Akron Jazz Trombone Ensemble, directed by Jack Schantz. This ensemble won the International Trombone Association Jazz Trombone Ensemble competition.

Morgan states that he “has long imagined a large jazz ensemble that somehow reconciles the energy of the Mingus band, the finesse of the Maria Schneider Orchestra, the grandeur of the Pat Metheny Group, the melodicism of Kenny Wheeler, and the humanity of Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra. The big challenge is how to balance through-composed formal structures with space for improvisation and spontaneous creativity. Blue Is More Than A Color begins to realize this vision.”

Rick Lawn, author of Jazz Scores and Analysis, calls Blue Is More Than A Color “one of the few recordings I hear that makes me want to listen again and again and play for others! It's the right length and isn't all over the place in terms of the sound and the vibe. And such great performances and soloists. . .wow! Great melodies throughout, which you just don't hear much these days except from a few writers like Vince Mendoza. Morgan leaves the welcome mat out for the listener by giving them something to hang on to: great grooves, melodies supported by great harmonies and some drama along the way. You've got it all in this record!”

The official release of the recording is April 19, 2019.

For more information, contact Dave Morgan: [email protected]