Peter Apfelbaum Sextet
Kenny Barron / Terrell Stafford / Dayna Stephens / Matt Wilson
Alan Broadbent Trio
Jimmy Cobb Quartet featuring Kenny Barron
Ruth Davies Blues Night featuring Barbara Morrison
Basie and Beyond: Jamie Davis and the Fred Barry Jazz Orchestra
Sasha Dobson Trio
Lou Donaldson Quartet
Madeline Eastman / Dena DeRose
Taylor Eigsti / Julian Lage Group
Eddie Gomez Trio / Frank Wess Quartet
Wycliffe Gordon Presents the Jazz Mentors
Wycliffe Gordon Quartet featuring Matt Wilson
Albert "Tootie" Heath
Jimmy Heath
Bobby Hutcherson
Nancy King
Kneebody
Lee Konitz
Maria Marquez Quintet
Jeb Patton Trio featuring Tootie Heath
Nicholas Payton Quintet
Kurt Rosenwinkel Group
John Santos Quintet
The Latin Side of the Great American Songbook with Peggy Stern
(New) Standards Night wtih Peter Stoltzman
Patrick Wolff Trio

Ruth Davies' Blues Night featuring Barbara Morrison
Ruth Davies’ Blues Night, always one of the most popular concerts in the SJW festival series, is fast becoming an annual tradition. Spanning a career of more than 30 years, Davies’ supreme command of the blues idiom is evidenced by her credits, playing upright bass with such legends as Charles Brown, John Lee Hooker, and Etta Jones and recording with artists including Bonnie Raitt, Van Morrison, Clark Terry, Vassar Clements, Toots Thielemans, Elvin Bishop, Maria Muldaur, Jackie Ryan and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. This is Ruth’s eighth year on the Stanford Jazz Workshop faculty. Ruth’s special guest is blues and jazz singer Barbara Morrison, known for her soulful renditions of jazz and blues classics.

   Barbara Morrison
Morrison just completed a 33 city US tour, co-headlining an all-star tribute to composer Harold Arlen (best known for “The Wizard of Oz”), and has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Ron Carter, Etta James and many more. Barbara’s recent credits include “Hymns For Peace,” recorded at the 2004 Montreux Jazz Festival with a band featuring Carlos Santana, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock.

In order to get to know her better, we asked Barbara to answer a few questions. Here’s what she had to say:

What is the first recording you remember hearing as a child?
Lee Morgan “The Sidewinder.” When my father would make it home with his paycheck, my Mother would be so happy she’d put on the Sidewinder and we would get in a circle hold hands and dance. My father was an alcoholic.

Who is your favorite jazz musician under the age of 30?
Trumpet player Sean Jones from Youngstown, Ohio. I met him several years ago when I was on tour with Doc Severinsen and we became friends. I flew him to Los Angeles to be on “The Blue Lady Jazz Festival.”

What job would you have if you weren’t a jazz musician?
I would have been a Physical Education Teacher.

What’s the strangest experience you’ve ever had on the bandstand?
When I first started singing, I had a tenor player named John Lemon chase me off the bandstand because I sang a wrong note in the bridge of “God Bless The Child.” I ran out the door and down the street until I ditched him.

What’s the last book you’ve read?
Women Who Run With The Wolves.

If you could play with any other musician, living or dead (with whom you have not played), who would it be and why?
I would have loved to play with my uncle Eli “Lucky” Thompson. He was in my family and I never got to meet him before he died last year. I didn’t know I had Royalty in my family. I also had Erroll Garner in my family on my mother’s side.

What’s your favorite tune?
“Never Let Me Go” by Ray Evans. He was a dear friend who passed away last year. He also wrote “Silver Bells” and “Que Sera Sera.”

Who is your greatest musical influence
Phil Wright, pianist with Nancy Wilson, Lou Rawls and Billy Stewart.

How much do you practice each week?
Everyday, at least 1 hour.

What hobbies do you have?
I like Tennis and Golf, but I like reading the most.

If you could be any other type of artist other than a jazz musician, what would you be and why?
My forte is the Blues and I would love to play classical guitar.

When did you become interested in music, and what circumstances or events led to your becoming a professional musician?
I think I was born into the business. My father was a great musician and I don’t know anything else.

To find out more about Barbara, go to barbaramorrison.com