TMA149 Members

A native of Invermere, a small town in the Rocky Mountains of western Canada, Morgan Childs has established himself as a first-call drummer for many leading Canadian and international jazz artists. Morgan has four recordings to his name as a leader, including 2016 release On The Street of Dreams, which was chosen by the Ottawa Citizen as one of the top-10 Canadian jazz records of 2016. Morgan has toured Canada, the US, Central America and the UK with Juno-nominated pianist/composer Amanda Tosoff, NYC bassist Brandi Disterheft, saxophonist Richard Underhill, guitarist Nathan Hiltz, pianist/vocalist Laila Biali, trumpet/flugelhorn legend Guido Basso, and pianist Robi Botos. Awards to his credit include three consecutive CBC Galaxie Rising Star Awards in 2006/07/08 with three different groups, as well as the 2009 and 2012 Grand Prix du Jazz at the Montreal Jazz Festival, with the Amanda Tosoff Quartet and Robi Botos Trio, respectively. Other notable artists Morgan has performed and recorded with include Zach Brock (Snarky Puppy), Phil Dwyer, Ingrid and Christine Jensen, Ian Hendrickson-Smith (The Roots), Mike Murley, and Pat Labarbera (Elvin Jones). In 2016, Morgan was awarded a Chalmers Prize from the Ontario arts Council, and a Canada Council Study Grant to study privately in New York City with jazz legends Billy Hart, Kenny Washington, and Jimmy Cobb. The culmination of his experience results in a distinctive, energetic, and musical approach to the drums that is steeped in the bebop tradition of his mentors, yet is forward-looking and diverse enough for the most contemporary of jazz artists. In 2018, Morgan travelled to Lviv Ukraine to perform at the Leopolis Jazz Festival with the Jake Koffman Quartet, as part of a delegation of Canadian jazz artists sponsored by the Canadian Embassy in Kiev. Morgan’s latest release is the co-led Donnybrook, Live at the Bassment, which is currently available on Bandcamp and all streaming services.