Interview: Oli Morris

Hiya Oli, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me! Congrats on the single release!

Hey no worries at all, thanks for having me! Can’t believe Bimal’s finally out, it feels so surreal.

Bimal sounds like a labour of love, from its initial fruition back in January 2020, to the long awaited release. Can you tell me a bit more about the origins of the song?

Yeah, the whole song acts as a reflection around my travels in India, it was easily one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever done but I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. Apart from the last week of the trip where I was able to link up with some friends, I’d say ¾ of that trip was travelled and planned solo, I totally just winged it man. I mean I had an itinerary, but it was pretty loose. Bimal basically outlines around all the frustrations and anxieties I faced while traveling alone. I think this ties pretty well to the times we’re facing now as we’re thrown in to so much uncertainty and I hope to use the message of this track to lift spirits and open up conversation.

Bimal artwork by Oli Morris.

As a session musician and overall incredible saxophonist (Oli plays with Chrissie Huntley and Cut Capers, to name a few), what made you take the plunge and release your own music?

Thanks for the kind words! It was a pretty terrifying plunge to make, but I knew it was something I wanted to do for a long time. With all the extra time I had during lockdown I just naturally found myself prioritising it more. It’s almost funny in a way because it started out with me being fed up with the drum programming on Logic and sending it over to Andee Liu (drums) to lay some stuff on the track. I dug the results so much that I just started contacting a bunch of my other musician friends to record some parts down. It felt nice to have the creative control to do your own thing but also cathartic to be able to share that experience with some incredible musicians and great friends.

The credits on the song read a who’s who of the Bristol music scene, can you tell me more about your fellow collaborators. How did you find the process?

Man, it was so much fun. These guys are music wizards and great hangs. The composition process was really enjoyable, but I think collaborating and watching your work slowly craft into this entirely new thing over time was really incredible.

Describe Bimal to me in three words.

It’s jazz kinda.

There are a lot of jazz influences weaved throughout the track, are there any artists in particular that inspire you?

Oh man, tons. I got into Ashley Henry when I started writing Bimal and just really dug the sound of blending organic hip hop grooves with jazz instrumentation. Robert Glasper’s ‘Black Radio’ is a huge one. Ben Wendel is up there for sure. I love the stuff Terrace Martin puts out too, I’ve been following him ever since he composed stuff on Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’. Mostly contemporary saxophone players I’d say.

You’ve played your fair share of festivals throughout the years (Glastonbury, Isle Of Wight, Bestival), what would your dream line-up be?

Radiohead, Chris Potter, LCD Soundsystem, The Bloomdaddies, Tribe, Madlib, Animal Collective, The Roots, Nick Hakim and Lianne La Havas. I feel like Glastonbury’s the sort of festival to be able to pull all these acts out of the bag and string them all together.

Sadly a career in karate didn’t work out for Oli. Image supplied by Oli Morris.

I know you’re a huge fan of basketball, if Bimal was a basketball player, who would it be and why?

Luka Doncic or 2016 Lebron James. You just never really know what’s going to happen next.

Other than rescheduled tour dates, what does the rest of the summer look like for you?

A handful of recording projects which are hush hush, practicing in my room when I get the time, soaking up a bit of sun, beer with friends and binging the rest of Star Trek Next Generation…

Now is where you can name drop any of your Bristol faves. Venues? Artists? People? Best place for a pint? Cheapest place for a pint?

Ooof. I think The Galliamaufry takes one of the top places on my list of venues. I’m a huge Waldo’s Gift fanboy since I saw them in 2018 and I still try and go to any show they put on at The Pergola. Baba Ganoush in St Paul’s does the best food ever. Best place for a pint: The Star and Garter. Cheapest place for a pint: The Red Lion in Easton. Special frantic shoutout to the good folks at Wogan Coffee for helping me write emails and do admin every day.

Lastly Oli, is it coming home?

Sorry, can you repeat the question?

Main photo: Sam Gould

You can catch up with Oli here: https://olimorrismusic.com/

Bimal is released on July 2. You can listen to it here: https://soundcloud.com/olimorrismusic/bimal-final-master/s-CvLWvBLJ6j7

Oli is touring with Cut Capers throughout the summer, you can check them out here: http://www.cutcapers.com/

Read more: ‘Why we must support Bristol’s small music venues’