Lawrence D. "Butch" Morris

Lawrence D. "Butch" Morris is recognized internationally as the principal theorist and practitioner in the evolution of Conduction®, and a leading innovator in the confluence of jazz, new music, improvisation and contemporary classical music. Mr. Morris's work redefines the roles of composer, conductor, arranger and performer, and bridges the gap between the composer, interpreter and improviser. Since 1974, his career has been distinguished by unique and outstanding international contributions to television, film, theater, dance, radio, interdisciplinary collaborations, concerts and recordings.He has worked with countless musicians and composers, choreographers, visual artists, writers, theater and film directors and performers. As a composer, he is widely known for his notated compositions and has been especially acclaimed for pioneering and developing the art of Conduction®: The practice of conveying and interpreting a lexicon of directives to modify or construct sonic arrangement or composition; a structure- content exchange between composer /conductor /instrumentalist that provides immediate possibility to alter or initiate harmony, melody, rhythm, tempo, progression, articulation, phrasing or form by manipulating pitch, dynamics (volume/intensity/density), timbre, duration, silence and order in real-time. Directives (idiographic signs and gestures) 'signify' the parameters of interpretation and demonstrate a precision and flexibility that may be utilized by all musical forms, styles and traditions.

 

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