R.I.P. LAWRENCE D. 'BUTCH' MORRIS (1947-2013)

LAWRENCE D."BUTCH" MORRIS. THE MAN WHO CHANGED US ALL HERE AT NUBLU . WITHOUT BUTCH BEING AROUND ,NUBLU WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN THE SAME. SO MUCH INSPIRATION AND SO MANY KIND WORDS AND HARD WORDS ABOUT WHAT MUSIC MEANS AND ITS RELATION WITH LIFE. OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS WE PROBABLY PERFORMED MORE THAN 100 CONCERTS AT NUBLU AS "NUBLU ORCHESTRA CONDUCTED BY BUTCH MORRIS". BEFORE EACH AND EVERY CONCERT WE HAD MEETINGS IN THE BASEMENT PRIOR TO THE SHOW WHERE BUTCH LAID OUT THE FORMULA OF LIFE....HOW TO LISTEN, HOW TO BE COMFORTABLE IN THE MOMENT, HOW TO REACT AND EXECUTE YOUR RESPONSE IN THE MOST CLEAR AND PERSONAL WAY. HE WAS TEACHING US HOW TO READ HIS SIGNS,  BUT IN THE END IT WAS REALLY ABOUT HOW TO SEE LIFE AND MAKE THE PERSONAL CHOICES THAT WILL ADD TO AND RAISE THE MEANINGFUL COMPOSITION OF THE ENSEMBLE. HOW TO RELATE  YOUR VOICE IN A GROUP WHEN EVEN IN YOUR SOLOIST MOMENTS YOU ARE BEING INDIVIDUAL AND ONE TOGETHER.

I BELIEVE BUTCH'S "CONDUCTION" (AS HE CALLED IT) WAS ABOUT ELEVATING YOUR MIND AND CONSCIOUSNESS TO A POINT WHERE YOUR THOUGHTS START BEING CHANGED TO A POSITIVE AND HIGHER LEVEL OF THINKING (OR NO THINKING), AND WITHIN THAT, ART IS BEING PRODUCED. THAT IS THE EXPERIENCE ALL GREAT MUSICIANS IN THE NUBLU ORCHESTRA SHARED. BESIDES PLAYING IN NYC FOR THE LAST 7 YEARS OR SO, WE ALSO HAD MANY GREAT SHOWS IN BRAZIL, FRANCE , TURKEY ,AUSTRIA, ITALY , MACEDONIA, POLAND AND HOLLAND. ALL BEING EXECUTED FROM BUTCH'S BATON AND FROM THE HAND SIGNS WITHIN HIS "CONDUCTION" CONCEPT THAT ELEVATED THE AUDIENCES ALL AROUND THE WORLD. 

OF COURSE, THE ONES WHO WERE CLOSE TO HIM ALSO KNEW THAT HIS ART AND MUSIC LIFE STARTED WAY BEFORE SHOWTIME . IN MANY HIGH-SPIRITED DINNERS AND LONG NIGHTS AT THE BAR, WE DISCUSSED LIFE AND HOW TO RELATE IT INTO MUSIC, INTO OUR MUSIC! NUBLU ORCHESTRA CONDUCTED BY BUTCH MORRIS WAS CREATED WITH THE THOUGHT OF ADDING THE "NUBLU SOUND", ITS NIGHT LIFE/ CLUB- FEEL TO BUTCH'S EXISTING MUSIC CONCEPT, BY BRINGING PSYCHEDELIA, BEATS AND BIG STAGE FEEL TO THE PERFORMANCES.

WE RELEASED  2 CD'S AS THE "NUBLU ORCHESTRA CONDUCTED BY BUTCH MORRIS", 1 STUDIO ALBUM AND 1 LIVE ALBUM AT SAALFELDEN JAZZ FESTIVAL. WE ALSO RELEASED 3 12" VINYLS WITH REMIXES OF SOME OF THE TRACKS AS WELL.

BUTCH!...... IT WAS A PLEASURE TO HAVE MET YOU!  LOVE AND THANKS FROM ALL OF US. YOU WILL BE  WITH US ALWAYS...WATCH OVER US!