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Morley

Known as Morley, Morley Shanti Kamen-Bruce is a singer, songwriter, producer, and Alvin Ailey-trained dancer/choreographer whose music blends folk, jazz, and global traditions into her own uplifting and healing sound. She debuted with 1998's Sun Machine and continued to expand her style on albums like 2005's Days Like These, 2008's Seen, and 2012's Undivided. She has worked with jazz musicians including William Parker, David Amram, and drummer Brian Blade, the latter of whom appeared on her 2018 Thousand Miles. In 2023, she and husband/instrumentalist Chris Bruce curated the compilation Story of the Sky.Born in New York City, Morley attended the Duke Ellington High School for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. where she focused on dance. At age 17, she earned a full scholarship to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center in New York. There, she studied dance and moved into work as a choreographer. Always interested in music and poetry, she began writing lyrics for her musician friends and was soon working on her own songs. In 1998, she released her debut album, Sun Machine, which found her blending pop, folk, and jazz. Although dance and choreography kept her busy, Morley returned with her sophomore album, Days Like These, in 2005. In 2008, she released the Jean-Philippe Allard- and Jay Newland-produced Seen. That same year she joined the cast of the opera Parable of the Sower, Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon's adaptation of Octavia E. Butler's book of the same name. Along with her own music, she worked as a lyricist, contributing to albums by Lizz Wright, Youn Sun Nah, Richard Bona, and Yuri Buenaventura. Morley's fourth album, Undivided, arrived in 2012 and featured guest collaborations with Raul Midón, David Amram, and Joan Wasser. Also that year, she released the album Yoga Release (Rhythms & Improv), which found her joined by bassist William Parker and drummer Hamid Drake. In 2018, Morley returned with Thousand Miles, another deeply felt jazz-influenced production featuring contributions from drummer Brian Blade, pianist Jon Cowherd, and guitarist Toshi Reagon. Morley has curated several compilations, including 2019's Borderless Lullabies and 2023's Story of the Sky, which she collaborated on with her husband, instrumentalist Chris Bruce. Also with her husband, she released the 2024 single "It's Hard to Stop."
© Matt Collar /TiVo

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