Thomas Morris (August 30, 1897 – 1945)
- accessed July 2010 was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

cornetist The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopra ...

. Jazz critic

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born October 4, 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author.Allmusic Biography/ref> Biography Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Since 1974, he was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles an ...

noted that Morris's primitive style was "an excellent example of how New York brass players sounded before the rise of Louis Armstrong."Yanow, Scott (2001). ''Trumpet Kings: The Players Who Shaped the Sound of Jazz Trumpet''. Backbeat Books. p. 270.. Morris was born in

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. His many recordings include dates with Clarence Williams, Charlie Johnson,

Fats Waller Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, violinist, singer, and comedic entertainer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz pi ...

and many jazz and blues singers, including

Mamie Smith Mamie Smith (née Robinson; May 26, 1891 – September 16, 1946) was an American vaudeville singer, dancer, pianist, and actress. As a vaudeville singer she performed in multiple styles, including jazz and blues. In 1920, she entered blues histor ...

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and

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. His most notable dates were with his band, the Seven Hot Babies, producing eight songs in 1923 and ten in 1926. For a time, Morris served as a porter at

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. In the last few years of his life, he was associated with

Father Divine Father Divine (September 10, 1965), also known as Reverend M. J. Divine, was an African-American spiritual leader from about 1907 until his death in 1965. His full self-given name was Reverend Major Jealous Divine, and he was also known as "t ...

's strict religious movement, changing his name to Brother Pierre.

Sidney Bechet Sidney Bechet (May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He was one of the first important soloists in jazz, and first recorded several months before trumpeter Louis Armstrong. His erratic temp ...

recalled an encounter with Morris in a radio interview with

Wynne Paris Wynne Paris (born June 22, 1964, in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama) was a new-age and world beat musician/producer with a special focus on yoga music and kirtan, the call-and-response singing of Bhakti yoga. His live performance combines Kirtan chanti ...

, stating, "I happened to be walking down 132nd Street near Seventh Avenue when I saw Thomas Morris, and I was tickled to death to see him. I say, 'Hello Thomas.' He said, 'Not no more. I'm St. Peter.' I said, 'You might be St. Peter to Father Divine, but you're Thomas Morris to me.'"Chilton, John (1996). ''Sidney Bechet: The Wizard of Jazz''. Da Capo Press. p. 132. Morris died in 1945 in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. He was the uncle of pianist

Marlowe Morris Marlowe Morris (May 16, 1915 – May 28, 1978) was an American jazz pianist and organist. He was the nephew of Thomas Morris. Biography Morris also learned drums, harmonica, and ukulele as a child. He accompanied June Clark from 1935 to 1937, t ...

References

External links

Red Hot Jazz: Thomas Morris
* Thomas Morris at Allmusic {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Thomas (musician) 1897 births 1945 deaths Okeh Records artists Dixieland cornetists Swing cornetists