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Keith Morris - his workAs is reflected in many of the tributes to and recollections of Keith, he was a most modest and self-effacing man and not given to 'blowing his own trumpet'. But we would like to blow it for him...... We hope that he would be pleased and not too embarrassed As Shelly Moore (ex Kent Moped member) said |
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A
quite unselfish man, never out for his own glory. Ha. Well
he’s getting plenty now (he might cringe a little), but I think
he’d have been proud. |
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The information below
about the work that Keith had done over more than three decades has been
put together from the recollections of others who were involved in various
projects and bands and from what could be found on the web sites of some
of Keith's collaborators. The priority has been to get some information
put up here - the rest of the content and the presentation will continue
to be worked upon..... |
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Please let us know if there is anything more that you can add - or if you can correct anything that isn't accurate |
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This is what Keith said about himself……Keith Morris AKA Kent Moped (Posters and programmes for a Red Music tour in Bulgaria were in the Cyrillic alphabet and Keith's name in Cyrillic looked exactly like "Kent Moped".) "....is who or what, exactly? - a more-or-less unknown composer based in Newcastle, England, writing music for all sorts of reasons, including theatre, literature, art and other kinds of events in the region. Used to be called a 'jazz composer", one of those less-than-worth-serious-consideration epithets. Writes also for youth and school circumstances, choirs, bands and ensembles. Also writes songs. Regards himself as actually quite good at setting words. Doesn't write music in any ground-breaking 'contemporary' idiom, is over 50 and therefore easily ignored." |
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Dukes Theatre LancasterWhen Keith died he was working on the music for Tom Thumb and other Giant Stories for the Dukes Theatre Lancaster. He had worked with the Dukes Theatre on summer and Christmas productions for several years. This is from a Guardian review of their production of Fandango in 2002 “The outstanding feature, however, is Keith Morris's omnipresent music, full of spicy, zarzuela flavours that inject real Spanish heat into the proceedings."
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Cargo Project
Keith was also working with Helix Arts on Cargo, a European artist residency programme in the UK, Latvia and Sweden. The artists work with their respective communities to create pieces of art in a wide range of media, including film, poetry, photography, and music. Keith was awarded the Composition Commission for Cargo in March 2004 and has begun research, including visits to each of the residencies. It is envisaged the piece will be inspired by the varied musical and cultural traditions, as well as the expressed socio-economic realities and aspirations of the participating communities. |
Esther Salamon, former Co-Director of Helix Arts and initiator of the project said, “The intention is that Cargo will provide both artists and the communities with the opportunity to identify, express and celebrate understandings of their individual and shared economic and social histories within the context of profound change – decline in traditional industries; increasing globalisation; the rapid development of sophisticated technologies and financial systems; geographical changes to national/international borders, political systems and cultural identities. Cargo aims to use creativity, art and culture to gain an understanding of these monumental changes. By exploring past traditions and future possibilities in imaginative and inventive ways, the project will provide insights into a metamorphosed Europe.” |
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Jazz
Action Keith led a 'Jazz band for a Day' workshop for Jazz Action working on an intensive daylong session with tutors Lewis Watson, Keith Norris, Mick Shoulder, John Wilson, Adrian Tilbrook and 'Smudge'
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Keith worked with many other musicians in the occasional Big People gigs. As Graeme Rigby writes here, Big People was essentially a principle. |
Big People
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Bergen - Kulturhuset Residencies In recent years Keith spent two periods as Composer in Residence at Kulturhuset USF in Bergen, NORWAY. He collaborated with Norwegian musicians, and brought the ‘Bergen Connection’ to Schmazz at the Cluny on two occasions. |
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Book of the North A pioneering collaboration between visual artists, prose writers and poets based in the north east of England, Book of the North published in 2002 contains text, music and film, all especially composed for the CD-ROM format. ISBN: 0-9541456-0-7 Price: £10 plus £2 post and packaging
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Book of the North features work by: Chaz Brenchley, Andrew Crumey, Julia Darling, Linda France, WN Herbert, Keith Morris, Sean O’Brien, Bridget O’Connor, Katrina Porteous, Mark Robinson, Alan Smith and Margaret Wilkinson.
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Four Seasons in Woodland Keith worked with poet Bill Herbert on this extended musical piece for choir, brass band, street band, octet, and two singers. The piece was premiered at the Caedmon Hall, Gateshead in December 1996; other performances include the 1997 Durham Literary Festival. Keiths commentary on the music is here Text by Bill Herbert is here |
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Plain Truth
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Kent Moped
KiKu Keith was also fleetingly in a "rock" band fronted by Yvonne Kingswell (who was also an original member of "We don't Want the Peanuts We Want the Plantation" Dance Band, with Joe Scurfield) |
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Grand Union Orchestra Keith was a member of Grand Union Orchestra since 1984
Grand Union Website More about GrandUnion Orchestra More pictures of Keith with GUO |
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more to come....... Including Blue Carpet Who Cares Wins! Tyneside Community Music Project Residencies Teaching
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