Wishing all y'all a very happy, peaceful and full of love New Year 2019. 
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
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, November 11, 2018
Billie Davies Perspectives ~ A Gathering - A 3 month residency at the Art Klub in New Orleans.
BILLIE DAVIES Trio presents PERSPECTIVES ~ a Gathering
Billie Davies Perspectives ~ A Gathering
Who: Billie Davies Trio
What: Billie Davies Perspectives ~ A Gathering
When: Every Sunday, 8:00pm-11:00pm
Starting: OCTOBER 21, 2018
Ending: JANUARY 13, 2019
Where: Art Klub, 1941 Arts St., New Orleans
Why: Billie Davies Perspectives ~ A Gathering is a once a week open to the public music exploration during her 3 month residency at the Art Klub, within the perspective of "fine art" - while at the same time it being an informal, happy-go-lucky, relaxing musical gathering full of love and peace.
How Much: $10 at the door. No one is ever turned away for lack of funds at Art Klub.
Billie Davies Perspectives ~ A Gathering
Every Sunday, from October 21 until January 13, join the BILLIE DAVIES Trio as they explore music within a perspective of "fine art". Each Sunday night will showcase Billie Davies on drums, Evan Oberla on piano, keys and trombone, Oliver Watkinson on bass and feature Iris P. on vocals. Invited guests will jump into the mix and play alongside the trio, keeping the evening informal, happy-go-lucky, relaxing and full of love and peace.
About the artist
The music of BILLIE DAVIES Trio, A Nu Experience and other quartet, quintet and sextet line-ups, moves on from the Jazz and Avant-garde jazz world beyond Jazz with it's own unique and truly improvisational style.
While living and playing in the South of France in 1984, Billie received a talent grant from Max Roach to study at Berklee College of Music. She made a permanent move to the US in December of 1986 for the sake of her explorations in Jazz.
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” which garnered national and international attention. CJ Bond, JAZZ MUSIC, wrote, “12 VOLT” features exclusively original compositions of Billie Davies, and 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 has graced stages ever since and where she recorded her album "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", her CD released in 12/10/2016 became a January 2017 Editor's Pick on DownBeat.com. It also started solidifying the coming of a new Billie Davies Trio with Evan Oberla on piano, el. keys and trombone and Oliver Watkinson on bass while featuring the vocals of Iris P who brought the words written by Billie to the stage.
In December 2017 Billie Davies was nominated for "Best Contemporary Jazz Artist" in New Orleans by OffBeat Magazine.
September 2018 was the first officially released recording of the new Billie Davies Trio, Perspectives II, featuring Ari Kohn, woodwinds, Iris P, vocals and Allie Porter, vocals.
Friday, October 5, 2018
Billie Davies trio "PERSPECTIVES II" Now Available On BandCamp
#newmusic #billiedaviestrio "PERSPECTIVES II" Now available @Bandcamp https://lnkd.in/eVpExbi . Also available on @ReverbNation . Listen on @AllAboutJazz @AppleMusic @Spotify @iTunes #jazzimprovisation #music @InTheKeyOfJazz
Thursday, October 4, 2018
PERSPECTIVES II - BILLIE DAVIES trio
Official set of live videos from the audio/video recording session of "PERSPECTIVES II" by the BILLIE DAVIES trio (Davies, Oberla, Watkinson) Featuring Ari Kohn, woodwinds, Iris P and Allie Porter, vocals, Elle C. Jones and Briana Alston, dance.
Video recording and editing by Marion Hill.
Audio recording, mixing, mastering and video cuts by Mike Davies.
Video recording and editing by Marion Hill.
Audio recording, mixing, mastering and video cuts by Mike Davies.
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