Angela Davis www.angeladavismusic.com
www.angeladavism
PRESS KIT THE ART OF THE MELODY in stores NOW With the release on May 14, 2013 of her recording debut The Art Of The Melody (Nicholas Records), Australian alto saxophonist Angela Davis adds a fresh new voice to the legacy of illustrious improvising artists on her instrument who influenced and inspired her like Art Pepper, Paul Desmond and Lee Konitz. Her clear phrasing and tone, as well as the title of her self-‐produced and self-‐released album, succinctly convey what drives her as an instrumentalist and composer. “I’ve had the privilege of studying privately with Lee since 2012 and he always tells me ‘…respect the melody and always hear where it is no matter where you are in your solo,’” Davis explains. “My sound is definitely influenced by the ‘Cool School’ but that’s how it naturally is and I wouldn't be able to change it if I tried.”
Davis is an intuitive melodicist who eloquently displays her artistry as an instrumentalist and improviser in quartet and duo performances of an eclectic suite of music including three of her own compositions and highly original interpretations of songs by Boz Scaggs (“We’re All Alone”), Tom Waits (“Martha”), Charlie Chaplin (“Smile”), the standard “Crazy She Calls Me” and the traditional Scottish ballad “Annie Laurie.” As she states in her liner notes, “…there is nothing like a great melody and the nine songs on this CD all contain beautiful, emotive melodies I enjoy playing and I hope that they resonate with you as a listener.” Davis is joined on the recording by pianist Chris Ziemba and fellow Australians Linda Oh on bass and Rajiv Jayaweera on drums.
The music on The Art Of The Melody draws on a variety of sources with two of Davis’s compositions inspired by a sense of place. “’The Road to Montgomery’ is a very melancholy track about missing my home and family that I wrote for my Masters recital. The chromatic wandering of the piano part is influenced by the music of Philip Glass and is meant to be very minimalist,” she explains. “’41 St Nick’ is about what it’s like living in Harlem amidst the hustle and bustle of the neighborhood around 125th Street.” Written over the changes to Victor Young’s “A Weaver Of Dreams,” “41 St. Nick” is one of two contrafacts Davis included on the album, the other being “Conscientia” which she penned over the changes to Arthur Schwartz’s immortal “Alone Together.”
The Boz Scaggs tune covered here is a favorite of Davis’s father that the saxophonist often heard, along with the music of Tom Waits, at home growing up. “Both songs are great vehicles for improvisation and ensemble interaction,” Davis says, adding that they are part of the repertoire she currently performs playing in clubs around New York City in duo, trio and quartet settings. The album also features the saxophonist in two duets: on the aforementioned Scaggs ballad “We’re All Alone” with pianist Ziemba and on “Smile” with bassist Oh which concludes the CD. Davis and Oh give each other ample room to breathe on an airy pas-‐de-‐deux the saxophonist notes was inspired by a version of “Every Time We Say Goodbye” Konitz recorded on his duo outing I Concentrate On You with bassist Red Mitchell. On “We’re All Alone” Davis and Ziemba display a sublime level of empathetic interplay that delicately balances passion and restraint.
"This music is lean and trim, well conceived from beginning to end. "
-‐ALL ABOUT JAZZ
Booking
Angela Davis
+1 (267) 205 4904
Biography About Angela Davis
Based in New York City since January 2010, Angela Davis was born in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. She started playing the saxophone at age nine, performed in her high school’s jazz band and toured Australia with The Jazz Ed Big Band which performed and recorded with saxophonist Don Burrows, one of Australia’s leading jazz artists. While still in high school Davis also earned an Associate of Music diploma in classical saxophone from the Australian Music Examinations Board. Davis received a Bachelor of Music with first class honors in 2006 from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and while there toured Australia and recorded with The Con Artists, a big band led by trumpeter John Hoffman a veteran of big bands led by Glen Miller, Buddy Rich and Woody Herman. In July 2006 she attended the Manhattan School of Music Summer workshop in Amsterdam where she studied with Dick Oatts, Gary Dial and Michael Abene. In September 2008 she moved to Philadelphia to study at the University of the Arts from which she received her Masters of Music in 2009.
In May of 2013 Davis released her debut album, The Art Of the Melody, to rave reviews through the USA and Australia in publications such as the New York City Jazz Record and The Weekend Australian. The CD spent 4 weeks on the JazzWeek Top-50 Jazz Album Chart reaching a peak position of #37 and a total of 10 weeks in the JazzWeek Top-100. The CD spent four weeks on the CMJ charts, was the #2 jazz add during its add week and reached a peak position of #9.
As a band leader, Davis has been featured in the Emerging Artists Series at the Bar Next Door in New York and has also performed at The Kitano, Tomi Jazz, Somethin’ Jazz Club and other venues in the city. She has appeared in Australia and the U.S. at the Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival, Noosa Jazz Festival, Villanova Jazz Festival, Mainline Jazz Festival, Sunshine Coast Jazz Festival, Valley Jazz Festival and Bangalow Jazz Festival among other events. Davis has also performed and recorded as a sideman with Kevin Hunt, Jim Pugh, James Morrison, Graeme Lyall, John Hoffman, Kristin Berardi, Steve Newcomb, Joe Chindamo, Chris Ziemba, the Cecilia Coleman Big Band, the Lars Halle Jazz Orchestra and the American Jazz Repertory Orchestra under the direction of Clem Derosa.
Booking
Angela Davis
+1 (267) 205 4904
"She does her part to keep the cool school alive." - THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD
"An instinctively melodic approach." - THE AGE
"Her sweet tone, her dedication to melody over technical prowess and her interactions with the rhythm section deliver a strong message – for Ms. Davis, the ‘art’ is found in the ‘melody’. !" - STEP TEMPEST
Booking
Angela Davis
+1 (267) 205 4904