Who Is Ted Morris?
Ted Morris’s musical story is one of reinvention; from classical concert halls to modern rock studios, from the disciplined structure of orchestral music to the freedom of songwriting in a rock band setting.
Trained as a classical flutist at the Manhattan School of Music by New York’s most preeminent, Morris’s early career included performances at Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood, on international tours, and on television, culminating in his hiring to be principal flutist in the Brazil Symphony Orchestra. But as his relationship with the classical world faded after a change of heart, he traded the flute and Brazil for a bass in a country band in the hills of Maine, and most importantly; a musical curiosity that never left. Through the years his music always remained a constant, even while he built a successful 34 year career as an attorney, Morris continued to write, record, and collaborate with friends, keeping his catalog of original songs alive.
In 2025, that long-running creative thread found new life. Partnering with a modern producer , SoulManstan, Morris revisited the songs he’d written across decades, deconstructing and reimagining them with fresh arrangements, textures, and drive. The result is Old Lines, New Forces: an eight-song album that breathes new energy into the emotional terrain of love, loss, and rediscovery.
Built on intricate guitar work, soaring vocal harmonies, and rich keyboard layers and infused with a love of progressive and classic rock influences, from the melodic ambition of Yes and Rush to the rhythmic nuance of late-era Police, Morris’s sound feels both rooted and renewed. It’s the work of an artist unbound by nostalgia yet deeply connected to craft and melody.
The album’s title, borrowed from a book written by Morris’s father, captures the project’s spirit perfectly. Old Lines, New Forces is about revisiting familiar emotions and reshaping them with the perspective of a life fully lived. It brings together years of songwriting in one cohesive statement; his “old lines” about romance and heartbreak, and his “new forces” in modern production, bold instrumentation and a renewed rock energy.