Writing

2013 will mark the 50th anniversary of the John Coltrane "Ballads" CD. To celebrate, I will be arranging all the music from the CD for jazz philharmonic orchestra (symphony + big band). I will be conducting a performance of this music in Toronto with a hybrid orchestra made up of members of my Danjam Orchestra and members of Victor Cheng's Sneak Peak Orchestra. This concert will feature internationally acclaimed saxophonist Mike Ruby playing the role of the great John Coltran

I am currently arranging a bunch of original compositions by Toronto saxophonist Alex Dean . He will be putting together his own big band this year, which I will be conducting. I am very excited to be collaborating with Alex on this project. More info to come soon!

On April 2nd 2012, the Danjam Orchestra performed in New York at Symphony Space. This concert featured guest pianist Jim McNeely. The band was truly at their finest and we received a great review in the New York Times.

This past March I traveled to the Netherlands to participate in the Metropole Orchestra Arrangers' Workshop led by Vince Mendoza. This orchestra is the best hybrid big band and symphony in the world that specializes in jazz and pop music. It was an unbelievable experience. I met 7 other incredibly talented arrangers. We wrote music for a concert that featured guest vocalist Kurt Elling. You can watch the orchestra perform my arrangement of Keith Jarrett's "Late Night Willie"

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http://www.jeffreymorgan.info/2012.01.01_arch.html