Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris: The Art of Conduction

Conceived by Morris as a theoretical introduction as well as a practical guide for conductors, composers, instrumentalists and music educators, “The Art of Conduction – A Conduction® Workbook” provides a detailed elucidation, through drawings and explanations, of each sign and gesture Morris developed for his “vocabulary of communication” in ensemble music making. The volume, published posthumously, presents Morris’s own reflections about Conduction as a way of establishing common ground between notation and improvised music, as well as a complete Conduction® chronology and discography.

Footage from “The Composition of Conduction®”, courtesy Luciano Rossetti © Phocus Agency

Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris (1947-2013) is internationally regarded as a leading innovator at the confluence point of jazz, new music, improvisation, and contemporary classical music. Beginning in the late 1970s, Morris employed Conduction, with and without notation, across widely diverse musical communities, and taught professional musicians and music students all over the world.

Daniela Veronesi is assistant professor of linguistics at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy. In the last decade she collaborated with Morris as translator and interpreter, and assisted him in workshops in Italy between 2008 and 2011. Since 2011 she has been working on a research project dedicated to the analysis of interaction in Conduction workshops.