The Billie Davies Band is bringing something radically new to the idiom of modern jazz in various ways which, in its purest essence, incorporates everything in its collective subconscious amalgam that has come before.It draws influences and ideas from both classical music and jazz in a modern and unique way which would appeal to audiences and aficionados of both these types of music. Besides these two major exponents it also encompasses what’s referred to as “world music” (Indian, African, Middle Eastern, Asian, South American and European ethnic music)
As with most jazz and classical music, every new style or period is a clear, direct reaction against the movement which has come before and often draws from a period prior to the movement it rebels against.
Contemporary jazz has taken the form of extreme dense harmonic development, parallel chord movements, very advanced rhythms, odd meters and an almost “inside only” improvisation, a primarily right brain, academic approach. The music of the Billie Davies band can be said to have an element of rebellion and simplification, similar to the abstract CoBrA art movement, which painters decided to express themselves through colors rather than objects.
In abstract painting the look and feel of a piece is what’s important and viewing the piece with an analytical mind set does not work. The art happens when a piece prompts a reaction, good or bad, the individual experience is what’s important. A surrealist piece can stand on its own due to the fact that it is based on objects which can be analyzed. An expressionist piece cannot.
For this type of art to exist a piece needs to be viewed whereas a musical piece needs to be performed and listened to.
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