Thursday, December 3, 2015
Friday, October 30, 2015
Billie Davies, Hand in Hand in the Hand of the Moon (Album Review)
Billie Davies, Hand in Hand in the Hand of the Moon (Album Review) In OffBeat Magazine in New Orleans.
Billie Davies, Hand In Hand In The Hand Of The Moon (Independent)
Avant-garde music really finds its beauty in the way it rids musical expression of a number of conceptual restraints, leaving the core of the artist’s emotion to be exposed bare.
This kind of intimate connection with the listener is what drummer Billie Davies offers in her release Hand in Hand in the Hand of the Moon.
The album, a symphony in eight movements dedicated to Belgian painter Serge Vandercam, was recorded in one take, with each movement inspired by a different painting by Vandercam.
The album, a symphony in eight movements dedicated to Belgian painter Serge Vandercam, was recorded in one take, with each movement inspired by a different painting by Vandercam.
Davies invites musicians to converse freely around pieces of visual art created in a session she spent with Vandercam in 1995. That type of experimentation in music allows her to draw connections between different individuals and their ideas, through different art forms, and across different timeframes.
Though the instrumentation remains within the established norms of the jazz quintet, the absence of piano challenges the horns to build a melodic and rhythmic rapport among themselves and with Davies’ lead drumming, rather than relying on set harmonies or chord structure.
The bare and vivid expression that results from this combination of ideas—on how to create music—shows a certain degree of sincerity and openness that remains present throughout this concept album.
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Jazz Global Beat: Billie Davies - Her New Avant-Garde Treasure CD "H...
Jazz Global Beat: Billie Davies - Her New Avant-Garde Treasure CD "H...: A Jazz Symphony! Art Inspired By Music, Music Inspired By Art "Hand In Hand In The Hand Of The Moon" Billie ...
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Monday, October 5, 2015
Monday, September 28, 2015
New CD by BILLIE DAVIES, "Hand In Hand In The Hand Of The Moon", available October 1, 2015
| MEDIA: Billie Davies Hand In The Hand OneSheet | About Hand In Hand In The Hand Of The Moon | The Paintings | Project Photos |
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HAND IN HAND IN THE HAND OF THE MOON
BILLIE DAVIES
An homage to Serge Vandercam (Copenhagen, Denmark, 1924 - Wavre, Belgium, March 10, 2005). A symphony inspired by paintings by Serge Vandercam and drums by Billie Davies (Brugge, Belgium, 1955).
The painter influenced by the drummer and the drummer influenced by the painter over a period of three days of the full moon. A collaborative work, conceived in 1995 resulting 20 years later in a series of 8 paintings and a jazz symphony of 8 musical movements.   
"You would have loved where I was at,
Serge, between the Rocks, the Dirt, the Coyotes, the Eagles, the Mountain Lions, the Road Runners, the Rattle Snakes. You would have loved where I am at, Serge, in the heat of New Orleans with the Banana trees, the Gators, the Water Moccasins, the Egrets, the Hawks, the Pelicans and the Swamps, the Bayous and the Music and the Sun and the Moon and the Birds. Serge, this Music has been made with You in mind... You, Me, then, Painting and Drums, and now Music inspired by these paintings ... a Symphony to You and to Thalia. A symphony to the Magic in fine Art A symphony to Nature. A symphony to the Bird with the Wish that People listen to Mother Nature People listen to the Bird." Billie Davies
One has to give that justice to art, That it brings proof that nothing functions. It establishes that there is no use, Not for the universe, Not for religion. It's flagrant uselessness makes one discover that something, Of which no-one gave much thought, Suddenly becomes essential. (Francois Jaqmin. Translated from French by Billie Davies.)
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THE ALBUM
 ARTISTIC INTEGRITY SPIRITUALISM IN ART PASSION CREATIVE EXPRESSION INTEGRITY PRIDE ORIGINALITY DEFINITION INTUITION INSTINCT Conversation rather then Technique
- The Movements -
prelude. Hand In Hand In The Hand Of The Moon - 7:26
i. Hand In Hand - 7:02 ii. In The Hand Of The Moon - 7:27 iii. Hand In The Hand In The Hand Of The Moon, Listen To The Bird - 7:59 iv. As She Tells - 7:10 v. The Shark In The Hand - 4:40 vi. Tiburon - 8:36 vii. The Bridge - 9:08 This music was recorded live in one take on an afternoon in April with all musicians in one 600 Square Feet room that was acoustically treated. A slide show was playing photos that were taken during the painting/drumming session in 1995 and other photos of Serge Vandercam and Billie Davies. For each movement the corresponding actual painting was hanging on a wall, visible to all musicians, in bright light. - The Paintings - 7 movement paintings were painted by Serge Vandercam (1924, Denmark - 2005 Belgium) in February of 1995 as a collaborative improvisational work inspired by drums played by Billie Davies during the three days of the full moon. The prelude painting was painted by Billie Davies in 1995.The Art on the CD cover was painted by Billie Davies in 1996.
- The Musicians -
Alex Blaine on tenor sax, Branden Lewis on trumpet, Evan Oberla on trombone Billie Davies on drums, Ed Strohsahl on upright bass 
- The Recording -
Recorded Live in New Orleans by Mike Davies on April 24, 2015 at the 415 Blossom Street Studio. Mixing by Mike Davies. Mastering by John Vestman. Produced by Mike Davies. 
- Press & Booking Contact -
Publicist: Scott Thompson http://www.scottthompsonpr.com - Bandleader: Billie Davies - New Orleans, LA - Tel: (+1) 310.467.2061 | Email: Billie@BillieDavies.com Website: http://www.BillieDavies.com | Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Davies  |
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