T I M   M O T Z E R

M U S I C  
After over two decades of world touring, 12 solo guitar soundscape albums, and a multitude of stunning collaborations and productions including 100+ albums of credits, Tim Motzer continues to “traverse manifold territories in music” (Guitar Player magazine). Tim has been recognized by Prepared Guitar (Madrid, Spain) in their list of top 100 modern guitarists worldwide.

Tim is a sonic pioneer and widely known for his distinct textural acoustic-electro guitar voice utilizing looping, bowing, electronics, and prepared techniques. He has collaborated and performed with numerous musical luminaries across genres including David Sylvian, Les Nubians, Isaac Hayes, Jaki Liebezeit (CAN), poet Ursula Rucker, Patti LaBelle, King Britt, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Vernon Reid, David Torn, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Pat Mastelotto, Questlove, and Percy Jones, among others. His co-production with King Britt on the album “Sister Gertrude Morgan” has been heard in films, TV shows, and numerous commercials, with placements including HBO’s “True Blood,” the Michael Mann feature film “Miami Vice” as well as the film “Hustle” starring Adam Sandler.

 Tim’s touring has included shows with celebrated soul singer Kenny Lattimore at the Apollo Theatre and Madison Square Garden, and French group Les Nubians, with tours in France, Canada, and a 24-concert United States tour. For 26 years, Tim has been recording and touring with poet Ursula Rucker with appearances around the world, including the Montreux Jazz Festival; Montreal Jazz Festival; Punkt Festival (Kristiansand, Norway); Trans-Musicales Festival (Rennes, France); Freedom Fest (Capetown, South Africa); Wroclaw Festival (Poland); La Labbra Nude Jazz Festival (Rome, Italy); and an Amnesty International 11-city tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Tim is also part of Bandit65, an improvising trio with jazz guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel and drummer Gintas Janusonis. Their release, Searching the Continuum (Heartcore Records), received a rare five-star review from J.D. Considine in Downbeat Magazine. Bandit65 has been featured on prestigious stages around the world including the Elbephilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany; Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London; and 6 concerts at the Cotton Club in Tokyo, Japan. Festival appearances have included Brussels Jazz Festival, XJazzFestival (Berlin); KOA Jazz Festival (Montpellier, France); and Festival Cadiz Jazz (Cadiz, Spain) among others.

From 2020 to the present, Tim has toured and recorded with PAKT, an improvising quartet featuring acclaimed musicians Percy Jones (Brand X, Brian Eno), Alex Skolnick (Testament), Kenny Grohowski (Brand X). Their most recent album is PAKT – Live Montreal / Toronto 2025, out on 1k Recordings.

For the past 25 years, Tim has brought his dynamic, eclectic array of musical projects together under his own 1k Recording’s imprint, which has over 75 releases and counting. His compositions, recordings, and productions include wide ranging genre-defying solo releases and adventurous collaborations spanning experimental, progressive, acoustic, electronic, dreamy songs, and beyond. According to WXPN-FM radio, it’s “A catalog of music that is as unique as it is unpredictable.” 1krecordings.bandcamp.com

C O N T E M P O R A R Y   D A N C E

Additionally, Tim is an in-demand, solo live composer/improviser in the world of modern dance. He has co-created alongside master choreographers and students at Princeton University, American Dance Festival/Duke University, and formerly at the University of the Arts where he was a resident composer and accompanist for over 20 years. Tim also had a longstanding collaboration with legendary Philadelphia choreographer, the late Manfred Fischbeck of Group Motion Dance Company; together, they co-taught at University of the Arts and ran a long-running improvisation workshop at the Community Education Center in Philadelphia.

Tim has also composed and performed with a diverse array of extraordinary choreographers worldwide including Faustin Linyekula, Curt Haworth, Peggy Baker, Shoko Kashima, Chico Katsube, Sean Feldman, Sung-im Her, and Raphael Xavier among others. Tim traveled to Toronto, Canada, where he performed a live score, “Replay,” over multiple nights with Peggy Baker Dance at The Theatre Centre. In Seoul, Korea, Tim created a live score with dancers at the MODAFE, South Korea’s largest and longest-standing dance festival, in collaboration with choreographer Won Kim.

With choreographer Olivier Tarpaga, Tim created an original score for the Limón Dance Company premiere “Only One Will Rise” which was presented at the Joyce Theatre in NYC and Jacob’s Pillow. According to The New York Times, “The music — an Afropop stew of percussion, bass and psychedelic guitar by Tarpaga and Tim Motzer — is played live. Never before has a Limón show been this funky.” He has also collaborated with Olivier Tarpaga for the ActionDanse Festival in Oujda, Morocco, and at the Session House in Tokyo, Japan.

V I S U A L   A R T

Tim has been painting for over 20 years, focusing on abstract impressionistic works for large canvas and smaller works on paper and artboard. He has exhibited his large scale abstract impressionistic paintings in New York City, Philadelphia, and Bucks County, PA. His paintings illustrate visually what happens in his music -- as both mediums share the qualities of beauty, magic, and a sense of wonder. He’s been receiving commissions for large scale works in homes, studios, and office spaces.

Additionally, Tim has been painting and designing album covers for his label 1K Recordings for over two decades. He is known for his one-of-a-kind, handpainted CDs which have been shipped to audiences worldwide.

For Tim’s Artist Statement and photos of his work, visit: www.timmotzer.com/visual-art

  
For more info about 1k, please visit 1krecordings.bandcamp.com.

Full CV available upon request

Bandit 65 (Kurt Rosenwinkel/Tim Motzer/Gintas Janusonis): 44 concerts worldwide including the prestigious Elbephilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany; Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London; and 6 concerts in Tokyo, Japan. Festival appearances include Brussels Jazz Festival 2018, XJazzFestival/Berlin; KOA Jazz Festival/Montpellier, France; Festival Cadiz Jazz, Cadiz, Spain; Jazz Nigran/Nigran, Spain; Casa del Jazz Festival/Rome; Peccorincino Jazz Festival/Rossano Calabro, Italy; Lagarina Jazz Festival/ Trento, Italy; Ars Nova Workshop/Philadelphia (2020) among many others.

1k Presents live music series at the Arete Brooklyn: Presented and performed in concerts with musical luminaries David Torn, Vernon Reid, Suphala, Markus Reuter, Mark Wingfield, Tobias Ralph, Matt Mitchell, Fides Krucker, and others during this residency. Produced by Tim Motzer.

Ursula Rucker, Musical director and guitarist: 27 years of world touring including the Montreux Jazz Festival; Montreal Jazz Festival; Punkt Festival, Kristiansand, Norway; Vibrophonic Festival UK; Big Chill UK; BAM Barcelona, Spain; Trans-Musicales Festival, Rennes, France; Hultsfred Festival, Sweden; Freedom Fest, Capetown, S Africa; Wroclaw Festival Poland; La Labbra Nude Jazz Festival Rome, Italy; Amnesty International 11 city tour Australia, New Zealand; and numerous concerts in London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Paris, Helsinki, Zurich, Bern, Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich, Budapest, Lisbon, Oporto, Hamburg, Istanbul, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Brussels, Brugge, Vienna, Toronto, and Vancouver.

Ursula Rucker - My Father's Daughter one-woman theatrical play (music director, music composer, guitarist) Presented at LaMaMa Theatre NYC; Kelly-Strayhorn Theatre/ Pittsburgh; Annenberg Center, Freedom Theatre; Plays and Players, Philadelphia

Tim Motzer Solo tour and performance highlights: The Ardmore Music Hall with Stick Men; The Saint, Asbury Park with Stick Men; The Linda Performing Arts Studio, Albany NY; Arete, Brooklyn; Cocofli/Wroclaw, Poland; Berlin residency; Townhall Kulturverrein, Bielefeld, Germany; The Gatherings series, St. Mary's Church/Philadelphia; Rotunda/Philadelphia; WXPN broadcast: WPRB broadcast; Spectrum/NYC; WLFR broadcasts; Johnny Brendas/Philadelphia; Gilly's/Dayton, Ohio; Southgate House/ Newport, KY; Fire Museum presents/Philadelphia; Commotion Festival, Crescent Park/Philadelphia

Orion Tango concerts
WXPN studios/Philadelphia; ProgHouse/Dundee, NJ; Ortliebs/Philadelphia; 8x10/Baltimore

Instant Takemitsu US Tour (Tim Motzer & Dino J.A. Deane with visuals by Dejha Ti): Sonic Circuits Festival/Maryland; Roulette/Brooklyn; Rotunda/Philadelphia; radio performances on WRTI, Philadelphia; WPRB, Princeton, NJ; Shape Shifter Lab/Brooklyn; fidgetspace/Philadelphia

4th Dementia U.S. Tour (Julie Slick, Marco Machera, Pat Mastelotto, Tim Motzer) Washington DC; Baltimore, MD; Philadelphia, PA; Dundee, NJ; New York, New York.

Festivals

Punkt Festival Kristiansand, Norway
I was invited to play the closing night's EXIT performance with outstanding Norwegian musicians Arve . Henriksen, Jan Bang, Eric Honore, Eivind Aarset, Bugge Westletoft, UK producer/composer Guy Sigsworth, and UK pedal steel guitarist BJ Cole.
La Villette Jazz Festival, Paris, France with saxophonist Julien Lourau. La Vilette Festival honoured Wayne Shorter, Steve Coleman, & Julien Lourau
JazzSaalfeldon Festival, Saalfeldon, Austria with Burnt Friedman and Jaki Leibezeit
Jamaaladeen Tacuma's Outsiders Festival Philadelphia
Cuneiform Festival, The Stone NYC with Ottokar, curated by John Zorn and Cuneiform Records.

Select Dance Collaborations

Only One Will Rise, Limon Dance Company (2022) choreography by Olivier Tarpaga. Music co-composed by Olivier Tarpaga and Tim Motzer. Performed by Tim Motzer, Daniel Johnson, Saidou Sangare. Performed live at The Joyce, New York City, NY
Resurfacing, UArts Dance (2022) Directed by Curt Haworth, Amalia Colon-Nava, Tim Motzer. Music composition and performance: Tim Motzer at the Gerschman Y, Philadelphia PA
Out of Sync, Princeton University Dance Festival Reimagined, choreographed by Olivier Tarpaga, music co-composed/performed by Tim Motzer, Daniel Johnson, and Olivier Tarpaga. Music produced by Tim Motzer. Princeton, NJ
into a pile of mirrors or buttons or frivolous shoes, UArts Dance, choreographed by Curt Haworth, music composed/performed by Tim Motzer, Merriam Theatre, Philadelphia PA
Movement Sound Experiment, Tim Motzer & NYC drummer Tobias Ralph, various UArts/local dancers. Arete, Brooklyn and Mascher Space/Philadelphia, with choreographer Curt Haworth
microhabitat body, HeJin Jang, Seoul, South Korea – (music taken from the album Live from Stars End by Tim Motzer)
Syria: The Fractal of We, Group Motion, live score, Philadelphia
Replay, Peggy Baker Dance, Theatre Centre, live score, Toronto, Ontario
ActionDanse Festival, live score, Olivier Tarpaga, Oujda, Morocco
Philly Files, Philadelphia, Faustin Linyekula and dancers, live score in collaboration with King Britt
Re:placing Philadelphia, Faustin Linyekula, Painted Bride Art Center, Philadelphia with King Britt
Numerous scores for choreographer Manfred Fischbeck, Group Motion Dance Company
MODAFE, Won Kim and dancers, live score, Seoul, Korea
Session House with dancer/choreographer Olivier Tarpaga, live score, Tokyo, Japan
University of the Arts Dance, live scores, Merriam Theatre Philadelphia
Electronic score for Group Motion City Dances Parkway, Philadelphia
Electronic dance score for Sean Feldman, Scottish Dance Theatre, Dundee and Edinburgh, Scotland

Select Film/Television Scores/Sync

Greetings From Fire Island podcast, Keith Brand
Hustle, Adam Sandler, Netflix
The Last Dance, Michael Jordon documentary, ESPN
True Blood, HBO television series
Miami Vice, motion picture, director: Michael Mann
Hex, dance score, London
Je Suis Un Cheval, I Am A Horse, Burkina Faso
Union Rags: An American Love Story (doc about the Wyeth family’s race horse)
Poet: Ursula Rucker, documentary
TedXPhilly bumper music

Select Teaching/Masterclasses

Princeton University, Princeton NJ, composer
University of the Arts, adjunct faculty/composer
Kimmel Center Summer Jazz Camp
University of the Arts Guitar Masterclasses
Kimmel Center Creative Music Workshops
Scribe Film Workshops
Muhlenberg University masterclasses
American Dance Festival, Duke University

Select Production/Engineer credits

Last Poets with Jamaaladeen Tacuma (engineer)
Ursula Rucker, various albums/remixes for k7 Records, Berlin, Germany (producer/engineer/composer)
King Britt presents Sister Gertrude Morgan, Ropeadope (producer, composer, engineer)
Vernon Reid, Calvin Weston, Jamaaladeen Tacuma (engineer, mixer)
Michelle Lordi (producer/mixer/composer)
Grimace Federation - On Velvet (producer/mixer)