Showing posts with label Perspectives II. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Perspectives II. Show all posts

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Billie Davies Trio: Perspectives II By Jerome Wilson


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 music buoyant. "Life" continues in the same manner with the vocalists talking and singing aphorisms like "Don't be afraid to be be who you are" and "Have no fear to live passionately" as Davies and the band cruise through mesmerizing grooves. "Happiness" changes the overall sound as Kohn switches to baritone sax and Oberla moves to trombone. Both start by moaning long notes over the bass and drums but eventually the four players become a crisp, punchy ensemble that works its way into a lurching Caribbean groove.

The tracks "Love" and "Freedom" bring synthesizers into play. The first is a shorter breeze of springy synthesizer sounds embellished by flute and the rhythm section while the vocalists gently sing about love while on "Freedom" buzzy synth sounds are tossed around with baritone, drums and bass in a turbulent, rock-flavored stew. These two tracks, in particular, resemble some of Sun Ra's more scaled down recordings where Pat Patrick's baritone sax and June Tyson's voice dueled with Ra's keyboard eruptions.

"Art" starts out with a free improv trio of flute, synthesizer and drums. Then electric piano and bass come in to build melody, Porter and Iris P dialog about art and the music morphs into a spell of swinging cool jazz led by flute and trombone as the women spin out poetry like they were in a Beat-era coffeehouse. Finally "Rhythm" is just what it says, a careening synth and baritone avalanche that quickly turns into a rolling, up-tempo jam that nods in the directions of hip hop and dub. Oberla swoops and burns on the electric keyboards, Watkinson walks furiously and Davies leads from the back, constantly switching the tempo and feel with little seeming effort.

This music never stays in one place for long, progressing naturally through straight jazz, jazz-rock, free jazz and other sub-genres, with the voices of Allie and Iris P dramatically shouting or sensually cooing as the mood dictates. This is a loose, free-flowing concoction not quite like anything else out there. Like the best forward-thinking music, 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 this year.


Track Listing: Nature; Life; Happiness; Love; Freedom; Art; Rhythm.

Personnel: Billie Davies: drums; Evan Oberla: piano, keyboards, trombone; Oliver Watkinson: bass; Ari Kohn: woodwinds; Iris P, Alie Porter: vocals.

Title: Perspectives II | Year Released: 2018 

Sunday, September 30, 2018

Announcing The Independent Release Of "PERSPECTIVES II" By Billie Davies Trio on BandCamp.


“PERSPECTIVES II”


applemusic LIVE LINK | Deezer LIVE LINK | iTunes LIVE LINK | Spotify LIVE LINK

Happy to announce the new release by Billie Davies trio, “PERSPECTIVES II”, on BandCamp today, September 27, 2018.

An all spontaneous, instinctive, intuitive improvisation inspired by 7 perspectives, words by Billie Davies and 7 chakra musical keys, expressed by:
BILLIE DAVIES trio Billie Davies - drums, Evan Oberla - piano/keys/trombone, Oliver Watkinson - bass, featuring: Ari Kohn - woodwinds, Iris P - vocals, Allie Porter - vocals, Lyrics by Billie Davies

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, so people start to listen to their heart, to feel their soul, without fear, wholly responsible for every action taken, and in doing so feel truly happy and fulfilled in harmony with mother nature.
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.
Musicians expressing through sound, vocalists through words and in the video dancers through movement, all expressing perspectives of Nature, Life, Happiness, Love, Freedom, Art and Rhythm.

“PERSPECTIVES II”


applemusic LIVE LINK | Deezer LIVE LINK | iTunes LIVE LINK | Spotify LIVE LINK


live recorded for sound and video at: Art Klub, New Orleans LA 
live recording date: June 1, 2018, 8 - 10 pm 
audio recording, mixing, mastering: Mike Davies 
video recording and post production: Marion Hill 

tracks 
Nature - 11:36 , Life - 06:13 , Happiness - 07:15 , Love - 07:15 
Freedom - 16:47 , Art - 13:37 , Rhythm - 14:45 

lyrics: Billie Davies 
release date: September 27 

Contact for Press, reviews, interviews: 

Billie Davies 
New Orleans, LA 
Tel: (+1) 310.467.2061 Email: Billie@BillieDavies.com Website: http://www.BillieDaviesJazz.com