Showing posts with label Free Jazz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Free Jazz. Show all posts

Thursday, January 30, 2020

BillieDavies.com, a new face, a new interface.

The new official website for Billie Davies has been completed.
It has a new face and a new interface that is more mobile friendly ... Her bio has been updated to current and it has a nice gallery that shows photos, full length videos of performances and random photos of Billie Davies and her line-ups... 
You can now also get downloads of her albums direct from the artist and you can listen to her music right there.
We will soon be adding previews of new material for a new project by Damani Butler that is in the works. It has Billie Davies on electronic drums, Maude Caillat on tenor sax and Damani Butler on electronics and digital sounds and it may have other guest artists. It looks like it will be performed a first time on Feb. 13, 2020, by invite only.
As we have opted for a Wix free site there are two ways to get there:
http://www.billiedavies.com or https://billie42.wixsite.com/billiedavies

BillieDavies.com official site for Billie Davies



Saturday, March 23, 2019

Billie Davies Trio (Davies, Oberla, Watkinson) with Steve Masakowski at SideBar Nola, March 29, 2019 at 9 PM.

Billie Davies Trio (Davies, Oberla, Watkinson) with Steve Masakowski at SideBar Nola

Billie Davies Trio (Davies, Oberla, Watkinson) with Steve Masakowski at SideBar Nola, March 29, 2019 at 9 PM.

Billie Davies Trio (Davies, Oberla, Watkinson) will be playing with Steve Masakowski at SideBar NOLA in New Orleans on Friday March 29, 2019 at 9PM.

Energies coming together to create something that has never been created before and will never be created again. 
A spontaneous expression, a harmony achieved that speaks for the existence of a universal energy that moves us all, no matter what perspective.

Billie Davies is an American jazz drummer and composer best known for her free and avant-garde jazz compositions since the mid-1990s, and her improvisational drumming techniques. She is a very accomplished free-jazz drummer. Born in Belgium, she now lives in New Orleans, having spent much of her life living peripatetically. The music of Billie Davies Trio and her other line-ups, moves on from the Jazz and Avant-garde world beyond Jazz with it's own very unique and truly improvisational jam style reminding us sometimes of, as Jerome Wilson put it on AAJ, the spiritual jazz tradition, as exemplified by John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane and Pharaoh Sanders. Billie Davies' work reminds you of many different things but in the end, it is its own original beast, as powerful as anything more well-known musicians have created. She has released five CD’s, of which three in New Orleans, she has been awarded “Best Jazz Artist” in Los Angeles in 2013 and was nominated “Best Contemporary Jazz Artist” in New Orleans in 2017.

Steve Masakowski has long been regarded as one of the finest jazz guitarists from New Orleans. His experience as a recording artist and jazz soloist is extensive.
His music has been featured in major publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Downbeat, Jazz Times, and many others. In addition, Masakowski was honored by National Public Radio with a feature biography which aired nationally on the Morning Edition radio program. Born and raised in New Orleans, Steve Masakowski has played guitar with most of the city’s greatest musicians including Alvin “Red” Tyler, Ellis Marsalis, Danny Barker, Earl Turbinton, and James Black. He has also performed with Grammy Award-winning artists Bobby McFerrin, Nicholas Payton, Allen Toussaint, Dianne Reeves and others at major festivals around the world. As a recording artist, he has released numerous CDs including two on the prestigious Blue Note Records label. He has been an active member of, and composer for the award winning New Orleans jazz group, Astral Project.

Evan Oberla - Piano/Keys/Synth & Trombone. “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 - & Upright Bass. 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.

#billiedavies #billiedaviestrio #stevemasakowski, #evanoberla, #oliverwatkinson, #sidebarnola, #neworleans, #usa

Friday, February 16, 2018

BILLIE DAVIES trio (Davies - Oberla - Watkinson) announcing their new project "PERSPECTIVES"


BILLIE DAVIES trio
(Davies - Oberla - Watkinson)
announcing their new project
"PERSPECTIVES"

View de 2nd evolution from the Full Blood Moon concert on January 31, 2017 below...
BILLIE DAVIES trio "PERSPECTIVES I" Live @ The New Orleans Jazz Museum




(-: #billiedaviestrio, #bloodmoon, #fullbloodmoon, #fullmoon :-)


“PERSPECTIVES I” by Billie Davies

music
Billie Davies - drums, Evan Oberla - piano, Oliver Watkinson - bass.
Ari Kohn - reeds (2nd and 3rd evolu
tion)

spoken word
Allie Porter - vocals (2nd and 3rd evolution)
Iris P - vocals (3rd evolution)

dance
Artivism Dance Group - dance improvisation (3rd evolution)


“PERSPECTIVES” is an all spontaneous improvisation, with a trio of piano, bass and drums (which might change into a quartet or quintet through the 3 evolutions), 
spoken word by female vocalist(s) in the 2nd and 3rd evolution and 3 dancers (female: referring to mother earth) in the 3rd evolution of the project.


True improvisational music of an Abstract Expressionist nature

An improvisation that will evolve through 3 evolutions, through repetition, minimal rehearsal and major performance and that will bring a message to raise the awareness of Life and living, Love and loving, in a deeply natural, subconsciously conscious perspective, so people start to listen to their heart again, to feel their soul again, without dogma, without fear, wholly responsible for every action taken, and in doing so feel truly happy and fulfilled again.

The musicians will express through sound, the vocalist(s) through words, the dancers through movement, all influenced by 7 perspectives.

An ode 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. 

tracks

1. Nature (Be Connected Wholly With Nature, With Yourself)

2. Life (Live As If Life Were New And Original)

3. Happiness (The Most Powerful Energy We Have Is Love)

4. Love (The Most Powerful Energy We Have Is Love)

5. Individualism (Express Everything That Is Alive Within You)

6. Art (Open Yourself To Universal Creative Energy)

7. Rhythm (Accept That Life Is Good)

"I feel that nothing we did, and everything we have done, in the past, relates or evolves into being what “PERSPECTIVES" could be because I see it as a spontaneous in the moment expression, without any pre-conceived ideas, without any music written down ... as if we started playing our instrument for the first time, as if this is the first time music gets played. A blank canvas, each and every time, so to speak."

LOUD AND CLEAR
It is my roots, answering, calling, and continuing the Mission of liberating the notes to be free and the sounds to be re-invented, re-explored, so that others will hear and see and feel the ROOTS.

So that others may IDENTIFY with it. As I Do.

So that this extremely FREE, Heart Beating, Soul Searching, Mind Bending form of FINE ART through the medium of MUSIC... be still here

after I am gone...

UNCONSTRAINED by color, race, gender, dogma, politics, fashion and trends and money.

LOUD AND CLEAR (Billie Davies)

"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


video info
L to R: Evan Oberla - piano, Ari Kohn - reeds, Oliver Watkinson - upright bass, Allie Porter - spoken word, Billie Davies - drums.
Sound & Video recording: Joe Stolarick at The New Orleans Jazz Museum, Music At The Mint.
Sound Mix and Post Production: Mike Davies, Billie Davies
Logistics: Mike Davies
Photography: Mike Davies

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Call out to EXPERIENCED, CREATIVE, IMPROVISATIONAL Free Improvisation Cats

Billie Davies Trio is calling out to EXPERIENCED, CREATIVE, FREE IMPROVISATIONAL Jazz Cats in New Orleans


All of Billie Davies music is improvisational... a conversation between musicians and musical instruments, a joint emotional expression inspired by a certain common feeling, thought or perspective that is being communicated to an audience, a listener, a community.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LOOKING FOR EXPERIENCED, IMPROVISATIONAL CATS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whether you consider yourself advanced or expert... you need to love and have a yearning for interacting and growing with the same musicians continuously for an indefinite amount of time of playing, recording, gigging ...




INFLUENCES
All of her music is improvisational... a conversation between musicians and musical instruments, a joint emotional expression inspired by a certain common feeling, thought or perspective that is being communicated to an audience, a listener, a community.
Most of her influences stem from Classical, Gypsy, Manouche, Blues, Jazz, Free Jazz, Avant-jazz, Avant-garde, Soul and Funk.
Major influences: Jack De Johnette, Billy Higgins, Billy Hart, Al Foster, Ed Thigpen, Billy Cobham... Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett, Rahsaan Roland Kirk.
Important influences: Max Roach, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams... Music produced under The ECM label in the 70's/80's with artists such as Dollar Brand,Abdulah Ibrahim, Jan Garbarek, John Abercrombie, Terje Rypdal, Charles Lloyd became an important influence and her inspirations have been influenced by Carla Bley, Nina Simone, Edith Piaf, Billie Holiday, Chopin, Ravel, Serge Vandercam, Matisse, Manitas de Plata, Irene Papas, Vangelis, Paco De Lucia, John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Trilok Gurtu, Klaus Schulze, Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Charles Aznavour, Jacques Brel, Mozart, Bach, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Mussorgsky, Christian Dotremont, the CoBrA movement, Bram Bogart, Hugo Claus, Gaudi, Braque, Van Gogh, Picasso, Dali, Miro, Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, and so many more... and ~~~ Universal Energy ~~~.

“LOUD AND CLEAR
What Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins accomplished in “The Shape of Jazz to Come” was not in vain, I heard it!!!... What Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sun Ra and Cecil Taylor left us was not in vain, I heard it!!!...

LOUD AND CLEAR

It was their roots, It is my roots, answering, calling, and continuing the Mission of the evolution of Fine ART in JAZZ, in MUSIC, of liberating the notes to be free and the sounds to be re-invented, re-explored, so that others will hear and see and feel the ROOTS.
So that others may IDENTIFY with it. As I Do.
So that this extremely FREE, Heart Beating, Soul Searching, Mind Bending form of FINE ART through the medium of MUSIC... be still here
after I am gone...
UNCONSTRAINED by color, race, gender, dogma, politics, fashion and trends and money.

LOUD AND CLEAR” (Billie Davies)

Free jazz is an approach to jazz that developed in the 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians during this period believed that the bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz that had been played before them was too limiting. They became preoccupied with creating something new. Free jazz has often been combined with or substituted for the term "avant-garde jazz". Europeans tend to favor the term "free improvisation". Others have used "modern jazz", "creative music", and "art music".

The ambiguity of free jazz presents problems of definition. Although it is usually played by small groups or individuals, free jazz big bands have existed. Although musicians and critics claim it is innovative and forward looking, it draws on early styles of jazz and has been described as an attempt to return to primitive, often religious, roots. Although jazz is an American invention, free jazz musicians drew heavily from world music and ethnic music traditions from around the world. Sometimes they played foreign instruments, unusual instruments, or invented their own. They emphasized emotional intensity and sound for its own sake. (Wikipedia)

Avant-garde jazz (also known as avant-jazz) is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. Avant-jazz often sounds very similar to free jazz, but differs in that, despite its distinct departure from traditional harmony, it has a predetermined structure over which improvisation may take place. This structure may be composed note for note in advance, partially or even completely. The origins of avant-garde jazz are in the innovations of the immediate stylistic successors of Charlie Parker. Musicians such as Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane introduced modal improvisation and experimented with atonality and dissonance. Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, and Ornette Coleman became controversial jazz innovators. (Wikipedia)