Today on Earth

Last updated
Today on Earth
Today on Earth cover.jpg
Studio album by Joe Morris
Released 2009
Recorded June 17, 2009
Studio West Studios, Charlestown, Massachusetts
Genre Jazz
Length67:06
Label AUM Fidelity
Producer Joe Morris
Joe Morris chronology
Colorfield
(2009)
Today on Earth
(2009)
Tooth and Nail
(2010)

Today on Earth is an album by American jazz guitarist Joe Morris, which was recorded in 2009 and released on the AUM Fidelity label. It was the second recording after Beautiful Existence by his quartet with alto saxophonist Jim Hobbs, bassist Timo Shanko and drummer Luther Gray. [1]

Joseph Francis Michael Morris is an American jazz guitarist, bassist, composer, and educator.

AUM Fidelity is an independent record label in New York City primarily devoted to avant-garde jazz artists such as William Parker, Matthew Shipp, and David S. Ware. It has also released recordings by improvisational rock band Shrimp Boat and exclusively distributes the CaseQuarter and Riti labels. It was founded in 1997 by former Homestead Records label manager Steven Joerg.

<i>Beautiful Existence</i> 2005 studio album by Joe Morris

Beautiful Existence is an album by American jazz guitarist Joe Morris, which was recorded in 2004 and released on the Portuguese Clean Feed label. He leads a new quartet consisting of the trio with whom he recorded Age of Everything with the addition of alto saxophonist Jim Hobbs.

Contents

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]

In his review for AllMusic, Phil Freeman states " Morris is a master of mixing total improvisational freedom with a realization that swing can be just as liberating as skronk, that a clean tone can say as much as, if not more than, a coruscating flood-tide of noise." [2]

AllMusic online music database

AllMusic is an online music database. It catalogs more than 3 million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musical artists and bands. It launched in 1991, predating the World Wide Web.

The All About Jazz review by Troy Collins says "A brilliant follow-up to Beautiful Existence, and considerably more accessible than some of his more abstract efforts, Today On Earth is a stellar highlight in an exceptional, eclectic discography." [3]

<i>All About Jazz</i> comprehensive American website for jazz enthusiasts and professionals, based in Philadelphia

All About Jazz is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, Jazz Near You, about local concerts and events.

The JazzTimes review by Scott Verrastro states "Today on Earth, his current quartet’s second album, may be one of Morris’ more accessible offerings, yet still contains the kind of challenging, jagged melodies and intuitive, spatial improvisations we’ve come to expect." [4]

JazzTimes is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Davidson Sabin (1928–2018) as a newsletter called Radio Free Jazz. Sabine founded Radio Free Jazz to complement his Washington, D.C. record store that he founded in 1962. As a newsletter, it informed consumers of the latest jazz releases and provided jazz broadcasters with news and backstories related to playlists.

Track listing

All compositions by Joe Morris
  1. "Backbone" –10:46
  2. "Animal" – 9:38
  3. "Today on Earth" – 10:51
  4. "Observer" – 11:40
  5. "Embarrasement of Riches" – 6:47
  6. "Ashes" – 7:51
  7. "Imaginary Solutions" – 10:33

Personnel

Guitar fretted string instrument

The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that usually has six strings. It is typically played with both hands by strumming or plucking the strings with either a guitar pick or the finger(s)/fingernails of one hand, while simultaneously fretting with the fingers of the other hand. The sound of the vibrating strings is projected either acoustically, by means of the hollow chamber of the guitar, or through an electrical amplifier and a speaker.

Double bass Acoustic stringed instrument of the violin family

The double bass, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra.

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References