Seattle multi-instrumentalist Morgan Henderson has played baroque folk rock to hundreds of thousands all over the world with Fleet Foxes and held down the low end with hell-raising post-hardcore cult faves the Blood Brothers, reflecting his tremendous range and ability to adapt. Despite these high-profile gigs, Henderson remains off many folks’ radars. He still isn’t a household name, though the bands for whom he plays bass, cello, bass clarinet, and saxophone are.
Not that this situation bothers Henderson. He’s too busy creating compelling music in several projects that—to me, anyway—are more enjoyable than his better-known groups. And he’s an ultramarathoner, so you know he’s chill. It’s plausible that running for hours at a time enables Henderson to conceive inventive sonic ideas, putting his runner’s high to optimal use. Surely it helps with his lung power where sax, flute, and clarinet are concerned.
At various intervals, Henderson seemingly has at least four bands going, and his discography is vast, involving several Northwest underground-music acts, including J.R.C.G., Seven Colors, and Spencer Moody’s jazzy/funky quirksters the Blind Seekers. Perhaps foremost right now is OC-EN (pronounced “Ocean”), a duo with fellow saxophonist/synthesist Joel Cuplin. Their improvisational live sets flow logically while hitting upon weird strains of ambient, jazz, dub, and IDM. They’ve opened for Colin Stetson and Go Kurosawa, and held their own. Henderson and Cuplin are currently working on their debut album. The two tracks I’ve heard flow in the minimalist, neo-avant-jazz stream that’s burgeoning nowadays.
For OC-EN, Henderson uses an Octatrack MIDI controller that controls two synthesizers—a Moog Siren, which creates the bass sound, and a Nord Drum that, Henderson says, “fits between rhythm and tonic sounds.” Cuplin employs a looper and effects units, so his loops correspond to Henderson’s moves.
In a 2024 interview on Slog, Henderson told me that he considers OC-EN the truest expression of his musical abilities “because it demands a bit more of me. Because I’m trying to be present and make something happen in the moment, but also write things, as far as the electronics go, that set up a world in which to explore. Not unlike any jazz or improvisational music where they might have some structures that they built ahead of time—songs that they’re going to play around in.”
Wow-wow, Henderson’s cross-country duo with NYC-based Pollens member Jeff Aaron Bryant, might just be his most fascinating group. Their hypnotically rhythmic, bizarrely textured instrumentals sound like ritualistic South Pacific Island pieces plugged into an organic techno matrix. A key part of Seattle’s music scene for over a quarter century, Henderson creates music that gets deeper and stranger as he goes.
