Perhaps best known as a trumpet virtuoso, James Morrison is, by anybody’s standard, a virtuoso in the true sense of the word. His showmanship extends to playing tuba, trombone, saxophone, clarinet, double bass, guitar and piano during his stellar career. James has been appointed a member of The Order of Australia, has won countless awards and has been inducted into the Australian Jazz Hall of Fame. James is recognized as one of the finest jazz players Australia has ever produced.
He has played alongside the best jazz musicians of our time, including Ray Brown, Dave Brubeck, Ray Charles, Dizzy Gillespie, Chick Corea, and Wynton Marsalis. He’s performed at the world’s major jazz festivals, including Montreux, North Sea, Nice and the Hollywood Bowl, as well as at jazz clubs like Birdland, The Blue Note and Village Vanguard in New York, the New Morning in Paris, the Tokyo Blue Note and Ronnie Scott’s in London.
James Morrison’s career has included much more than just jazz. He has recorded with The London Symphony Orchestra, rock legends INXS and the European Brass Ensemble, performed at the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms, written the opening fanfare for the Olympic Games, played for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and for US Presidents Bush and Clinton. He has played classical trumpet at the Kremlin, broken a Guinness record conducting the world’s largest orchestra, and in 2016 was a guest of President Obama at the White House.
Did we mention that he’s also a pilot, rally driver, sailor, author and even an inventor? But not a cruise ship captain…yet.