Showing posts with label Evan Oberla- keys/trombone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Evan Oberla- keys/trombone. Show all posts

Saturday, September 22, 2018

New Orleans Drummer Billie Davies Announces Her New Release, "Perspectives II" By Billie Davies Trio, For September 27, 2018



"New Orleans Drummer Billie Davies Announces Her New Release, "Perspectives II" By Billie Davies Trio, For September 27, 2018"

SOURCE: BILLIE DAVIES PR September 12, 2018 1,677 Views

"Freedom and expression. These are the things that matter most to Billie Davies, who has used the drums as a means to express herself freely for more than 40 years now." —Noe Cugny, Offbeat Magazine.




About Perspectives II“All of my music is improvisational... a conversation between musicians and musical instruments. A joint emotional expression inspired by a certain common feeling, thought or perspective in an instinctual, unpredictable, freely expressed improvisation exploring authentic feelings and inspirations that is being communicated to an audience, a listener, a community."—Billie Davies

Perspectives II is an all spontaneous, instinctive, intuitive improvisation inspired by 7 perspectives, words and seven chakra musical keys, expressed by a quartet of piano / keys / trombone, baritone sax / flute, bass, drums and vocals / spoken word by two female vocalists.

Perspectives that affect all human beings, regardless of race, nationality, culture, gender, creed, religion, politics, social status and personhood. Abstract Expressionist Improvisations Neither confused by the light Nor blinded by dogma, color or political correctness An ever evolving improvisation, a message to raise the awareness of life and living, love and loving from a deeply natural, instinctive perspective. A symphony to mother nature, to the tree of life and people. One big conversation where each artist responds to another artist’s call, where each and every action taken is in response to another, all being influenced by each other, all being one and one with mother nature.

A spontaneous expression through sound, through words and through movement, all expressing perspectives of Nature, Life, Happiness, Love, Freedom, Art and Rhythm.


Personnel
Billie Davies: drums
Evan Oberla: piano/keys/trombone
Oliver Watkinson: bass
Ari Kohn: woodwinds
Iris P: vocals
Allie Porter: vocals

Live recorded for sound and video at: Art Klub, New Orleans.


Tracks Listing
Nature (11:36)
Life (06:13)
Happiness (07:15)
Love (07:15)
Freedom (16:47)
Art (13:37)
Rhythm (14:45)

Release date: September 27, 2018.


About The Performers

Billie Davies
“Billie Davies is a very accomplished free-jazz drummer. Born in Belgium, she now lives in New Orleans, having spent much of her life living peripatetically. Previous reviewers have made much of the self-taught nature of her drumming. I defy any listener to distinguish her playing from someone ‘schooled’ in jazz drumming. There is a vitality and fluidity in the way that she plays the drum kit... her stories explain her drumming... ”- Chris Baber, Jazz Views (Jun 30, 2016)

Her 2012 release of All About Love solidified her position as a professional jazz musician. This recording of standards and original music, charted #1 in CMJ Jazz College Radio Charts for ‘top jazz add’ in new albums and went on to stay in the top 20 for 4 weeks. Also well received in Canada, the album ended up in the Top 10 on three different Earshot Jazz charts.
In October, 2013 Billie released 12 VOLT. CJ Bond, JAZZ MUSIC, wrote, “12 VOLT adds the crucial tyne of 'composer/arranger' to her sterling artistic fork, augmenting fearless innovation."
Jan Hocek of His Voice in Prague wrote: ”Without hesitation—HIGH VOLTAGE avant-garde JAZZ—one of the most remarkable trio albums of the year!"
In 2013 Billie Davies received the “Jazz Artist of the Year" Award by the 23rd Annual Los Angeles Music Awards.
In March of 2014 she moved to New Orleans where she recorded Hand In Hand In The Hand Of The Moon in 2015.
She received more national and international attention due to a player feature in Downbeat Magazine May 2016 edition, “BILLIE DAVIES 20 Years Stronger'".
On Hollywood Boulevard, released in 12/10/2016 became a January 2017 Editor's Pick on DownBeat.com.
December 2017 Billie Davies was nominated for “Best Contemporary Jazz Artist" in New Orleans by OffBeat Magazine.

Evan Oberla
“Music never stops, it only begins. All the music that ever was exists now. It is the musician's job to tune into the universe and become a vessel for the music of the moment." Evan Oberla Evan was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, playing piano and guitar at an early age. In 5th grade he picked up the trombone for the school band. In high school his musicality led him to participate in multiple jazz ensembles, including the acclaimed Columbus Youth Jazz Orchestra. Evan graduated in June 2009 from Ohio State University with a degree in Jazz Studies performance. A diverse and active musician based out of New Orleans, LA, he can be found with acts such as EO & The Tasty Sapiens, Brass Lightning, Sexual Thunder, Allie Porter Band, Billie Davies, Miss Mojo, Mike Dillon & more. Evan has toured nationally with O.A.R., Allen Stone, and Elle King.

Oliver Watkinson
Born in Brunswick Maine, Oliver began studying music at the age of five. He attended college in Boston at the New England Conservatory, where he had the opportunity to study upright jazz bass and perform with greats such as Lee Konitz, Dave Holland, Jason Moran, Cecil McBee, and many more. In 2014, Oliver moved to New Orleans and began performing with BILLIE DAVIES in 2015, Gandhi Castle, Laelume, and various street bands. He has taught and performed all over the United States, as well as Central America and Canada.

Ari Kohn
Born in Portland, OR he now lives in New Orleans and is a jazz studies graduate from Tulane University. Ari is fast becoming one of the important younger musicians in New Orleans. He is a very creative and dedicated reeds/woodwind player that can be found playing with Brass Lightning, Miss Mojo, Allen Stone, Elle King, Sexual Thunder!, Doombalaya, Noruz, and more. He is a BOOST Music Teacher at New Orleans College Prep Charter Schools. He played and performed with the Billie Davies Ensemble horn section in 2015 and with Billie Davies & The Bad Boyzzzz horn section in 2015/16. He joined BILLIE DAVIES in January of 2018 for the “PERSPECTIVES I & II” project.

Iris P
Born in 1985, in New Orleans, Catherine Poree' aka IRIS P, discovered her talent when she received her very first instrument, a violin, at the age of 6. From there she went on to perform in orchestra concerts and a host of plays, but most of all enjoyed singing with her mother, the late Marilyn J. Etienne, also known as LADY GOSPEL. In 2010 IRIS P started her mission to “save the world" by performing her original songs written from her extravagant poetry debuting a plethora of songs from her Underground EP “I Got Issues". IRIS P shows style like no-other with Jazz Melodies when she played “Billie Holiday" in “Dryades Street Divas Review" in the summer of 2014, held at Ashe's Cultural Center. She won “Nola’s Hottest Female Vocalist In October of 2014" at the Nola Hip Hop Awards, and headlined in the Foundation Room at the New Orleans House of Blues. She joined BILLIE DAVIES for the recording of “On Hollywood Boulevard” in 2016.

Allie Porter
Hails from Crofton, MD and is a singer and songwriter now living in New Orleans with honest pipes and a heart of gold bringing you the music of your past, present and future. She has been influenced by Grace Slick, Joni Mitchell, Irma Thomas, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Beyonce and Janis Joplin. She can be seen performing in New Orleans with The Allie Porter Band, The Holy Trinity Trio and more. She joined BILLIE DAVIES in January of 2018 for the “PERSPECTIVES I & II” project.

Dancers in Video: Artivism Dance Theatre featuring Elle C Jones and Briana Alston
Artivism Dance Theatre is a collective dedicated to bringing awareness of social issues to a wide range of audiences through dance theatre. Artivism aims to generate discussion amongst its audiences and open a dialogue around these important issues. We prioritize communication of social message over esoteric performance, often using multimedia techniques in our work. We believe that art, and specifically movement, can communicate perspective and experience across gaps in culture, language, and tradition that might otherwise remain unbreachable.

Visit Website

Related Video

Friday, January 19, 2018

#Tonight (1-19-18) 8PM BILLIE DAVIES trio at The Frenchmen Hotel Rooftop Bar

Tonight (01/19/18) 8pm - 11pm


Halfway To The Blood Moon

concert under the stars

Hosted by Portal

The Frenchmen Hotel Rooftop Bar
417 Frenchman Street
New Orleans

Sunday, December 24, 2017


Billie Davies has been nominated "Best Contemporary Jazz Artist" in New Orleans by OffBeat Magazine December 2017.

Billie Davies has been nominated for Best Contemporary Jazz Artist in New Orleans, Louisiana
This could not have happened without Mike Davies, Evan Oberla, Oliver Watkinson and Iris P
Thank you OffBeat Magazine



The Best of the Beat Awards are presented by The OffBeat Music and Cultural Arts Foundation. The OMCAF was developed to create opportunities that support Louisiana artists in leading sustainable creative lives. The OMCAF merges education, advocacy, community engagement and creative collaboration to foster and uplift Louisiana music, arts and culture.
Inspired by the work of OffBeat Magazine, which has a robust history contributing to the promotion, visibility and legitimacy of Louisiana’s music and cultural scene, the OMCAF are committed advocates for the preservation of Louisiana culture.


We solicited nominations from musicians and others in the music community, for excellence in recordings and performances during 2016. We then gave the results to our writers and editors and with input from both, determined the nominations in each category, keeping in mind that these nominations only recognize work done in 2016.
Voting ends on January 12, so make sure to get to it before time runs out.

Sponsored by OffBeat Media, Positive Vibrations Foundation, Generations Hall, The Orpheum Theater, WWNO, WYES, The New Orleans Advocate, WHIV-FM 102.3.

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Billie Davies - A Nu Experience at Music At The Mint, May 19

Billie Davies - A Nu Experience at Music At The Mint, May 19:
Billie Davies - A Nu Experience at Music At The Mint, May 19. Musicians: Billie Davies, Evan Oberla, Oliver Watkinson, Iris Poree, - order tickets, find location and other info. Never miss another jazz concert in New Orleans again!


Monday, December 19, 2016

Billie Davies – ‘On Hollywood Boulevard’ – Skope Entertainment Inc

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 builds itself up is quite wonderful as the song unfurls in a rather celebratory spirit. Careful grooves define the ritualistic work of “Jacaronda”. Some of the detail, such as the tactile percussion, gives the song a quiet intimate feeling. Funk dominates over the spirited performance, as the synthesizer sweeps give the song a chilled hue to it. Electronics and jazz come together on the narrative of “Hollywood Boulevard” where its hip-hop structure adds to the song’s cache. Returning to the album’s beginnings in jazz is the spacious sprawl of “On Hollywood Boulevard 2”.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/on-hollywood-boulevard/id1174033049

Billie Davies offers a cool confident update on jazz with the playful nature of “On Hollywood Boulevard”.

http://www.billiedavies.com/

By – beachsloth.com

Monday, November 28, 2016

Billie Davies - Dec 10 Release of Her Nu Experience - "On Hollywood Boulevard"

On JazzCorner.com News



- A Nu Experience! -
An Electrifying Musical Adventure
- December 10 Release Date! -

CD Release party at The Prime Example, New Orleans.
Dec. 8th, 2016 - 8 PM

- "On Hollywood Boulevard" -
- BILLIE DAVIES -

Since recording, releasing and performing "Hand In Hand In The Hand Of The Moon" as an ode to the work of her dearest friend, Belgian artist Serge Vandercam (1924 - 2005), and performing with Billie & The Bad Boyzzzz and the Billie Davies Trio in 2015- 2016 it slowly became time for her new album project "On Hollywood Boulevard", for which Billie wrote the melodies and lyrics, to become a reality.
After 20 years of playing, producing and releasing instrumental jazz, Billie Davies is turning a page and is bringing us a Nu Vocal and Electric Experience, "On Hollywood Boulevard".

"On Hollywood Boulevard" was born while Billie Davies lived at 6533 Hollywood Blvd. at The Historic Hillview Hollywood in Hollywood, Los Angeles. She lived there for several years and her many experiences in and impressions of Hollywood Boulevard resulted in a recorded album of 5 songs that Billie Davies wrote melodies and lyrics for and 2 improvisations of which one has improvised lyrics by IRIS P.. It took from 2012 in Hollywood, the initial conception, to September of 2016 in New Orleans for the album to become a reality.
Billie and her husband/producer Mike Davies chose Evan Oberla, with whom she has recorded and performed since February of 2015, on keys/synth and trombone and Oliver Watkinson, who became her bass player in the summer of 2015, on electric bass. Billie Davies met IRIS P through an introduction by Evan Oberla, during one of their performances at The Dragon's Den, and was rejoiced to find the perfect vocalist, the perfect chemistry, to record and perform the "On Hollywood Boulevard" lyrics and experience.




Read more here:  http://www.jazzcorner.com/news/display.php?news=7681

Saturday, November 19, 2016

Hollywood Boulevard (Billie Davies) - BILLIE DAVIES - A Nu Experience

BILLIE DAVIES - A Nu Experience
In the recording studio...
Recording the new album "On Hollywood Boulevard"
Hollywood Boulevard (Billie Davies)
L to R:
Evan Oberla - piano/synth/trombone
Billie Davies - drums
Oliver Watkinson - bass
Iris P - vocals
Mike Davies - sound & video
Recorded at Billie Davies studio - Cobra Basement

Friday, October 14, 2016

Palm Trees (Billie Davies) - BILLIE DAVIES - A Nu Experience

BILLIE DAVIES - A Nu Experience
In the recording studio...
Recording the new album "On Hollywood Boulevard"
Palm Trees (Billie Davies)
L to R:
Evan Oberla - piano/synth/trombone
Billie Davies - drums
Oliver Watkinson - bass
Iris P - vocals
Mike Davies - sound & video
Recorded at Billie Davies studio - Cobra Basement


Sunday, September 11, 2016

Jacaranda 2 (Billie Davies) - BILLIE DAVIES - A Nu Experience

BILLIE DAVIES - A Nu Experience
In the recording studio...
Recording the new album "On Hollywood Boulevard"
Jacaranda 2 (Billie Davies)
L to R:
Evan Oberla - piano/synth/trombone
Billie Davies - drums
Oliver Watkinson - bass
Iris P - vocals
Mike Davies - sound & video
Recorded at Billie Davies studio - Cobra Basement