About Morris

"Morris Northcutt is a superb trumpet and cornet player.  He plays with a beautiful, smooth, rich tone and with absolute control in all registers and at all dynamic levels."

Known for his lyricism, artistry and ability to cross the boundary between classical and jazz, Washington native and Global Music Award Silver Medal Winner, Morris Northcutt has shared the stage with diverse performance groups such as Mannheim Steamroller, Critical Mass Big Band, Seattle Symphony Chamber Orchestra, Tacoma Symphony, the Philharmonic Brass Quintet, The Blues Brothers Reunion Band, Orchestre d'Harmonie d'Ollioules, and the British-style brass band Puget Brass among others.

Currently, Morris Northcutt is a member of Brass Unlimited, lead trumpet player and Artistic Director for Swing Reunion Orchestra, lead trumpet player for legendary jazz saxophonist Pete Christlieb with his Tall and Small Big Band NW, and is principal cornetist for the internationally recognized Tacoma Concert Band, a position he has held for over 20 years.

Morris began playing the trumpet at age 11 and played his first job as a professional musician in a local dixieland band at 15. While attending the University of Puget Sound, Morris studied with Seattle Symphony trumpeter Geoffrey Bergler and the late jazz saxophonist Don Lanphere. 

Additionally, he has taken lessons from Arturo Sandoval, Frank van der Poel, Chris Labarbra and has studied with international jazz trumpet player Bobby Shew. Morris has enjoyed the honor and privilege of backing up numerous notable musicians including Pete Christlieb, Steve Turre, Rolf Smedvig, Carl Saunders, Paquito DeRivera, Ellis Marsalis, Allen Vizzutti, Keiko Matsui, David Benoit, Louis Bellson, and Jon Faddis.

Morris’s freelance career can be traced throughout the Puget Sound region, as well as Canada and Europe. In 2014, Morris was a guest soloist with Denis Gautier Big Band’s “Operation Dragoon Anniversary Tour” in Southern France – a stint he reprised last Summer (2017). In Summer of 2018, he was a featured soloist on a tour of Ireland. Morris frequently performs as a trumpet soloist in cathedrals and churches in the US and Canada, allowing him to express the tenderness and strength of music. He regularly shares his passion for music in local schools as a soloist and clinician.

In 2019, he completed a solo recital/masterclasses tour of Ireland that included an appearance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
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This past January, Northcutt was selected as one of two international trumpet artists that appeared at the 2020 São Paulo Trumpet Academy in Brazil.

Later in 2021, Morris will debut his first EP, produced and engineered by Latin Grammy Award winner Danilo Alvarez.

Despite all of Morris’ international engagements, the acclaimed musician remains closely tied to the state of Washington.  A business owner and member of the Lakewood Rotary Club, he is heavily involved in the community life of his home town of Tacoma, serving on several community boards and spending quality time at home with his eleven-year-old twins and wife, Lavonne.