BILLIE DAVIES Music

Billie Davies Trio: Perspectives II By JEROME WILSON December 17, 2018 The spiritual jazz tradition, as exemplified by John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders, has been having a resurgence over the past few years in places like Los Angeles and Great Britain. Now here is evidence that some musicians in New Orleans are going down that path as well. Billie Davies is a drummer from Belgium who now lives and works in the Big Easy and this recording, available only in download form, captures a live performance of her trio, plus added guests, creating over an hour of heady, uplifting music. Most tracks build slowly. "Nature" starts with lonely flute trills by Ari Kohn and sparse electric piano notes from Evan Oberla that slowly coalesce into a wavy tropical rhythm. Craggy, harp-like piano and the soothing voices of Allie Porter and Iris P weave in and out of each other while Davies and bassist Oliver Watkinson maintain a light, rolling undercurrent that keeps the musi...

Corrected link to a beautiful review of #OnHollywoodBoulevard on Jazz Views​. #JazzBuzz​ #Jazz​ http://www.jazzviews.net/billie-davies---a-nu-experience--on-hollywood-boulevard.html BILLIE DAVIES - A NU EXPERIENCE -On Hollywood Boulevard  Self Release Billie Davies: electronic drums; IRIS P: vocals; Oliver Watkinson:  electric bass; Evan Oberla:  keyboards, synth, trombone. Recorded New Orleans, September 26, 2016 On the one hand this set represents a very new direction for Billie Davies, working in Nu Jazz, which bridges jazz and contemporary R&B and hip hop.   Her choice of an electronic drum kit also lends some really interesting textures to the sounds she produces.  On the other hand, the drumming is as solid, nuanced and captivating as ever.  Interestingly, the approach taken to recording was similar to that of her ‘Hand in Hand in the Hand of the Moon’ CD; the music is recorded in front of a small, live audience in a single take ...

Billie Davies, "A Nu Experience: On Hollywood Boulevard" (Independent) - OffBeat Magazine OffBeat Magazine Billie Davies, “A Nu Experience: On Hollywood Boulevard” (Independent)   By Robert Fontenot Published: February 08, 2017 Despite the best efforts of James M. Cain, Chinatown and BoJack Horseman, L.A. noir still doesn’t get the respect it deserves next to what goes on in Gotham. This is doubly true for jazz, where a combo of experimentalism, perceived lack of gravitas and the general laid-back vibe of West Coast Cool doom it to second-fiddle status, seemingly forever. All these years later, and when folks want to feel how La La Land destroys the dreams of its citizens, they dig out “Hotel California,” not Chet Baker. Shame, really. If anyone could change that perception, it’s pioneering avant-garde drummer Billie Davies, a disciple of fellow “California Hard” stylist Max Roach and someone who, true to her gypsy resume, actually lived on Hollywood Boulevard for a tim...

Billie Davies – ‘On Hollywood Boulevard’ – Skope Entertainment Inc Billie Davies – ‘On Hollywood Boulevard’ by Admin • December 19, 2016 “On Hollywood Boulevard” is a glamorous, gorgeous mixture of jazz and funk displaying Billie Davies’s deft skill. Luxurious textures dominate the collection as Billie Davies draws from a wide variety of sources. Everything simply glistens as the attention to tone and texture are of the utmost importance. Bass works wonders alongside the rather loose, careful rhythms that adorn the album. Mood serves an important function as Billie Davies explore vast terrains, oftentimes delving into surreal, otherworldly soundscapes. Things start off on an impassioned note with the phenomenal opener “On Hollywood Boulevard 1”. With almost a noir take on jazz, the mysterious shadowy nature of the piece results something deeply compelling. Vocals accompany the laid-back attitude of “The Girl In The Window”. Delivered with a sultry sensibility, the way the song b...