Wilber Morris was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1937 and died in Livingston, New Jersey, in 2002. He recorded four albums as a leader: “Collective Improvisations” in 1981, “Wilber Force” in 1983, “Breathing Together” in 1995, and “Drum String Thing” in 2001. He played on many other albums as a sideman, and did a lot of work with Thomas Borgmann and David Murray (who plays on “Wilber Force”).
“Afro-Amer.IND” is the first song I heard by Wilber Morris. It’s a staggering composition, free-flowing, with so many unexpected twists. It starts off with a bass solo from Morris that sounds like a construction, like he’s laying down the foundations for a mathematical proof. A minute into the solo, you hear voices singing sweetly along—whether Murray and drummer Dennis Charles or members of the audience, it’s unclear—and then shortly thereafter, Murray enters and Charles comes in on drums. It all comes together so warmly. Murray stays in the midst of the song, commenting with sharp phrases, then coming back to the main riff towards the end of his solo. Later on, everyone clears out for Morris again, and his bass solo, from around the seven-minute mark, feels so correct and athletic, with big, dynamic leaps. The audience applauds (the album was recorded live during a performance at Kwame, in New York City, on what the liner notes calls “a snowy Sunday afternoon,” Feb. 6), then they all come back together at the end for a strong restatement.
I first heard of Wilber Morris through Nathaniel Mackey, who made a reference to “Miss Mack",” one of the songs on “Wilber Force,” in “From a broken bottle, traces of perfume still emanate,” his ongoing epistolary jazz novel, and he described the song in such a way that I had to hear it. You can only hear “Miss Mack” if you buy this album used, but two songs from “Wilber Force” are online—”Afro-Amer.IND” and “West Indian Folk Song” are both on YouTube.
“Wilber Force” and “Collective Improvisations,” Morris’s first album as a leader, are the two best albums I listened to in 2019. Both are definitely worth seeking out. More soon on “Collective Improvisations.” Check out Discogs if you want to find some used copies of “Wilber Force”.