Morris Kliphuis

Morris Kliphuis (1986) is an improvising hornist, composer and arranger. His energetic and melodious playing is in high demand, both in his native country of the Netherlands and abroad. As the horn does not have much of a tradition outside the classical world, he has developed a distinctively personal style in which the warm, melancholy sound of the horn takes center stage.
Morris started out playing classical music at the age of eight, but could never resist improvising. After a year of studying classical composition in The Hague, he studied jazz horn at the Amsterdam Conservatory. He also spent a semester at Purchase College, New York, where he studied with jazz horn great, John Clark. Morris won the Princess Christina Jazz Competition in 2006, and recieved the Keep an Eye Jazz Award 2009 for best soloist.
With Timon Koomen (guitar) and Remco Menting (drums) he started Kapok in 2012, a trio that plays energetic music in between jazz, impro, and indie. Kapok released two acclaimed albums, Flatlands (2012) and Kapok(2014), and won the Dutch Jazz Competition in 2012, the European Jazz Competition in 2013 and the Edison Jazz People’s Choice Award in 2014.
As a composer, Morris has worked in many different settings, ranging from solo bassoon to full orchestra. For the Ragazze String Quartet, he wrote the music theatre piece FoodLifeCrisis, incorporating improvisation, repeated patterns, and household objects. His piece Plaint for piano solo, based on the blues, was recorded and published by Donemus. The Prisma String Trio commissioned the 12-minute piece Space Opera, which was recorded on their cd Voyage. Other compositions are regularly performed by jazz ensembles Windkracht 7 and the New Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra.
Morris is an active player on the international scene, working in diverse settings. He has performed with the New Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra, the Kyteman Orchestra, Windkracht 7, Orlando, and Berlin-based contemporary/pop ensemble stargaze. As a member of this group he has performed all over Europe with, among many others, Villagers, Matthew Herbert, Nils Frahm, Julia Holter and Bill Frisell.