Blue Morris 6 Swing Band

The band also has its own website at www.bluemorris.com with lots of MP3s to download and more information about us.

"A band like a dirty martini -- a whole lotta swing with a splash of the blues!"

Growing up in the 70s and 80s Blue had little interest in the popular music of the day and preferred the swingin' sounds of Benny Goodman and Frank Sinatra. Little is known about his musical education. He played in a quintet in Toronto run by Howard Rees and later in his home town of Vancouver he was seen playing with various big bands, including a seniors band, though he was only in his late 20s at the time.

He showed up for a few local jam sessions but was frustrated with the egos in the bebop scene. Blue then started his own swing band, The Blue Morris 6, which is about when he started to get noticed in the local music scene.

It certainly helped that Blue Morris could cut a rug and was already well known in the swing dancing scene around Vancouver. His band, the Blue Morris 6 became the "house band" at the local swing dance known as "Stomp It Off."

The Blue Morris 6 is one of Vancouver's finest (and youngest) swing bands and features the 20-year-old voice of Carly Jepsen. The group was formed by Blue initially with one goal in mind: to create music that's great for swing dancing.

Since then the band has gained a following in Vancouver with both dancers and non-dancers alike. The band has a sound similar to the 1940s small-group swing bands, but with a bluesy twist. And Carly Jepsen adds just a touch of pop to her swingin' sound. She's only 20 years old, but can she ever sing!

On tenor sax the band features Greg Lui who mixes a little John Coltrane with his Lester Young; and on baritone sax is the very cool Nick Kempinski who has a fun honkin' sound and can often be seen dancing and shuffling about on stagehe's always a favourite with audiences! Holdin' down the bass is Jim Bennett, a cat new to Vancouver, having moved here from Montreal last year. The drum throne seats either Grant Ball or Benji Bohannon, two favourites among Vancouver's swing bands.

And of course, Blue strums away at this rhythm guitar with a steady swing and forms the back-bone of the band's sound. He throws in the odd solo when the mood strikes, and he's also been known to jump off the stage mid-song to dance with some cutie in the crowd.