Moris Tepper

Last updated

Moris Tepper
Birth nameJeff Moris Tepper
Also known asMoris Tepper, Jeff M. Tepper, Jeff Morris Tepper, Moris Tapir, Love Hunter, White Jew, Jeff Tepper [1]
OriginLos Angeles
Genres Alternative rock, rock, blues, experimental, jazz
Occupation(s)Musician, artist
Instrument(s)Guitar, vocals
Years active1970s–present
Website http://www.candlebone.com/

Moris Tepper, sometimes credited as Jeff Moris Tepper, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and artist.

Contents

Tepper first came to prominence in the late 1970s with Captain Beefheart. [2] He has also worked with singers Tom Waits, [3] PJ Harvey, [4] Robyn Hitchcock [5] and Frank Black. [6] He has recorded several solo albums. His album Head Off (2004) includes a lyrical collaboration with the reclusive Beefheart with the song "Ricochet Man". [7]

Tepper met Beefheart (alias Don Van Vliet) by chance while studying as an art student in Northern California in the mid-1970s. Van Vliet had already started to focus on painting and although they shared this in common it was when Van Vliet learned Tepper knew guitar parts to Trout Mask Replica that he became interested in putting together a new band around Tepper's unique guitar sound. This was done later in Los Angeles after Van Vliet and Frank Zappa had reunited briefly for the Bongo Fury tour. [2] The result of the new band led to arguably some of Captain Beefheart's most creative music efforts including albums Shiny Beast (1978), Doc at the Radar Station (1980) and Ice Cream for Crow (1982). [8] Tepper joined The Magic Band in 1976 and stayed in the band until 1982. He is one of the longest serving (without a break) Magic Band members and the only one to receive production credit for Ice Cream for Crow (1982) [9]

Tepper's first released solo work beginning with Big Enough to Disappear (1996) and then Moth to Mouth (2000) came after having been a sideman for many years. His music has been reviewed as "accessibly avant-garde" [10] and although it may be difficult to shed his sideman cult status he remains inspired. [11] Stingray in the Heart (2008) was described as an album that never pauses in a familiar territory. [12]

Tepper is also a painter and he divides his time between music and painting. [9] [13]

Discography

With Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilations

With 17 Pygmies

With Gary Lucas

With Tom Waits

With Frank Black

With Tommy Santee Klaws

Solo albums

Compilations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain Beefheart</span> American musician (1941–2010)

Don Van Vliet was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as the Magic Band, he recorded 13 studio albums between 1967 and 1982. His music blended elements of blues, free jazz, rock, and avant-garde composition with idiosyncratic rhythms, absurdist wordplay, a gravelly voice, and a wide vocal range. Known for his enigmatic persona, Beefheart frequently constructed myths about his life and was known to exercise an almost dictatorial control over his supporting musicians. Although he achieved little commercial success, he sustained a cult following as an influence on an array of experimental rock and punk-era artists.

<i>Trout Mask Replica</i> 1969 studio album by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band

Trout Mask Replica is the third studio album by the American band Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, released as a double album on June 16, 1969, by Straight Records. The music was composed by Captain Beefheart and arranged by drummer John "Drumbo" French. Combining elements of R&B, garage rock, and blues with free jazz and avant-garde composition, the album is regarded as an important work of experimental rock. Its unconventional musical style, which includes polyrhythm, multi-octave vocals, and polytonality, has given the album a reputation as one of the most challenging recordings in the 20th century musical canon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John French (musician)</span> American drummer

John Stephen French is an American drummer and former member of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band, where he was known by the nickname Drumbo. He was the principal drummer on several of Beefheart's albums, including 1969's Trout Mask Replica, for which he also acted as arranger. He later released several albums as a solo artist as well as with the collaborative group French Frith Kaiser Thompson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Lucas</span> American musician (born 1952)

Gary Lucas is an American guitarist, songwriter, and composer who was a member of Captain Beefheart's band. He formed the band Gods and Monsters in 1989.

Eric Drew Feldman is an American musician. Feldman has worked with Captain Beefheart, Fear, Snakefinger, The Residents, Pere Ubu, Pixies, dEUS, Katell Keineg, Frank Black, The Polyphonic Spree, Tripping Daisy, Reid Paley, Charlotte Hatherley, Custard and PJ Harvey.

<i>Ice Cream for Crow</i> 1982 studio album by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band

Ice Cream for Crow is the twelfth and final studio album by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, released in September 1982. After it was recorded, Don Van Vliet retired from music to devote himself to a career as a painter. It spent two weeks in the UK album charts, reaching number 90, but failed to make the Billboard Top 200.

<i>Unconditionally Guaranteed</i> 1974 studio album by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band

Unconditionally Guaranteed is the eighth LP by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, released in 1974. It was recorded at Hollywood Sound, Los Angeles.

<i>The Spotlight Kid</i> 1972 studio album by Captain Beefheart

The Spotlight Kid is the sixth studio album by Captain Beefheart. Released in 1972, it is the only album credited solely to Captain Beefheart rather than Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, although every member is featured, and its material is considered part of the band's repertoire. Often cited as one of the most accessible of Beefheart's albums, it is solidly founded in the blues but also uses instruments such as marimba and jingle bells that are not typical of that genre. The incarnation of the Magic Band on this album was Bill Harkleroad and Elliot Ingber, guitars; Mark Boston, bass; John French, drums; and Art Tripp, marimba. Session drummer Rhys Clark substituted for French on one track, "Glider".

<i>Strictly Personal</i> 1968 studio album by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band

Strictly Personal is the second album by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band. It was originally released in October 1968 as the first album on the Blue Thumb Records label. It was released nearly a year after the band had taken to the studio to record the follow-up to 1967's Safe as Milk, and was composed primarily of material intended for an aborted double-LP entitled It Comes to You in a Plain Brown Wrapper.

<i>Safe as Milk</i> 1967 studio album by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band

Safe as Milk is the debut studio album by American music group Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, released in June 1967 by Buddah Records. A heavily blues-influenced work, the album features a 20-year-old Ry Cooder, who played guitar and wrote some of the arrangements.

<i>Mirror Man</i> (Captain Beefheart album) 1971 studio album by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band

Mirror Man is the fifth studio album by American band Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, released in April 1971 by Buddah Records. It contains material that was recorded for the label in 1967 and originally intended for release as part of an abandoned project entitled It Comes to You in a Plain Brown Wrapper. Much of the material from this project was subsequently re-recorded and released through a different label as Strictly Personal (1968). The tapes from the original sessions, however, remained under the care of Buddah, who took four of the unissued tunes and released them as Mirror Man. The album sleeve features an erroneous claim that it had been "recorded one night in Los Angeles in 1965".

<i>Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)</i> 1978 studio album by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band

Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) is the tenth studio album by American band Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, released in October 1978 by Warner Bros. Records. The album emerged from production difficulties surrounding Bat Chain Puller, an album Captain Beefheart recorded for DiscReet and Virgin Records in 1976. DiscReet co-founders Herb Cohen and Frank Zappa feuded over the production of the album, because Cohen funded the production with Zappa's royalty checks. Captain Beefheart recorded a new album titled Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) after Zappa withheld the master tapes of the original Bat Chain Puller album.

<i>Doc at the Radar Station</i> 1980 studio album by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band

Doc at the Radar Station is the eleventh studio album by American band Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, released in August 1980 by Virgin Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Magic Band</span> Captain Beefhearts backing band

The Magic Band was the backing band of American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Captain Beefheart between 1967 and 1982. Originally Beefheart had simply been the lead singer of the group, formed by guitarist Alex St. Clair, but eventually they morphed into a backing band for him. The rotating lineup featured dozens of performers, many of whom became known by nicknames given to them by Beefheart. Longtime members during the band's heyday included drummer/arranger John French, guitarist Bill Harkleroad, bassist/guitarist Mark Boston, percussionist/keyboardist Art Tripp, guitarist Jeff Cotton, and guitarist Elliot Ingber. Ex-members of the Magic Band formed the short-lived group Mallard in 1974. The Magic Band reformed in 2003, without Beefheart.

Alex St. Clair was an American musician.

<i>Bat Chain Puller</i> 2012 studio album by Captain Beefheart

Bat Chain Puller is the 13th studio album by Captain Beefheart, released on February 22, 2012. It was recorded in 1976 by DiscReet Records, who had intended to release it with Virgin Records as Captain Beefheart's tenth studio album. It was co-produced by Beefheart and Kerry McNab.

Gary "Magic" Marker was an American bass guitarist and recording engineer, best known for his involvement in various psychedelic rock bands of the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain Beefheart discography</span>

The following is a list of official releases by American musician Captain Beefheart. With various line-ups of musicians called The Magic Band, Beefheart released a total of 13 studio albums recorded between 1967 and 1982, after which he left music to concentrate on a career in painting, as Don Van Vliet. His catalogue has since been augmented with extra releases including an EP and various compilations of live material, studio outtakes and greatest hits releases.

<i>Im Going to Do What I Wanna Do: Live at My Fathers Place 1978</i> 2000 live album by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band

I'm Going to Do What I Wanna Do is a live album from Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band. In support of the US release of his album Shiny Beast , Beefheart and the band undertook a promotional club tour. On Saturday 18 November 1978 they performed at My Father's Place in Roslyn, New York. My Father's Place was located under a motorway bridge, held about 200 people and the patrons sat at long tables and could dine whilst listening if they wished. The show was recorded and mixed directly to two-track tape. The tape was used for a radio broadcast on WLIR-FM on 11 December 1978. Rhino Records made the album available for download, after a limited release on CD. Released by Rhino on 4/22/23 on 2 vinyl LP's, limited to 5000, for Record Store Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice Cream for Crow (song)</span> 1982 single by Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band

"Ice Cream for Crow" is a song by Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band as the title track from their final album, 1982's Ice Cream for Crow. It was released in 1982 as the sole single for the album.

References

  1. ↑ Jeff Moris Tepper discography at Discogs
  2. 1 2 Chuck Crisafulli, "Busted guitars and spectacular sounds", musicplayer.com, July 30, 2001
  3. ↑ Jim Washburn, L.A. Times Entertainment, May 19, 2000
  4. ↑ Richard Cromelin, "Dark, sonic spasms – with PJ Harvey's assist", L.A. Times, February 20, 2006
  5. ↑ [ dead link ]
  6. ↑ Stewart Lee, 'Stingray in the Heart' Review", London Sunday Times, January 4, 2009
  7. ↑ Tim Perlich, "Tepper wear: Biz-weary guitar ace thrives indie-style", Now Toronto, Music Feature, October 14–20, 2004
  8. ↑ Elaine Shepard (Producer), Declan Smith (Film research) (1997). The Artist Formerly Known as Captain Beefheart (Documentary). BBC.
  9. 1 2 Moris Tepper Discography Archived September 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine The Captain Beefheart Radar Station
  10. ↑ Michael Simmons, "Moth to Mouth", L.A. Weekly, August 18, 2000
  11. ↑ John Aizlewood, "'Stingray In The Heart' Review", Q Magazine 2008
  12. ↑ Antero Garcia: ALBUM REVIEW: MORIS TEPPER: Moris Tepper Stingray in the Heart Candlebone L.A. Record, May 29, 2008
  13. ↑ Polly Higgins, "Storyteller, artist, musician – he does it all", Tucson Citizen, Entertainment, May 19, 2005
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.