ASH DAVIES
A self-taught composer, Melbourne based Ashley Davies is an innovative artist, arranger, writer and drummer. Ashley is known for composing by ear, mainly writing on guitar, piano, and drums, he also uses harmonica, electronica, voice and anything else he may find that will capture what he is envisioning for his work.
Ash is set to release a ten-piece instrumental work entitled Gold. Inspired by an artist uncle and the classic instrumental records of the sixties by Burt Bacharach, Nelson Riddle and Bert Kampf. Gold features ten instrumental pieces (and an artbook of these paintings) composed to accompany each of the Lasseter paintings, with the aim of evoking the same feeling in listeners that he felt when admiring his uncle's work. This feeling is amplified through his dynamic with Bryony Marks, who wrote the magnificent string parts in the series…the musicians he chose to play with him on the album and from his passion of the great composer’s and arrangers of the classic instrumental albums of the 1960’s that he was brought up listening to. “I wanted to use those albums as my template…I have my own style of writing and arranging but it had to have a sound from those classic records mixed with modern tones.”
Every family has a favourite uncle or aunty, and Uncle Len was ours. When he died he left all of his paintings, watercolours and drawings to my mum. There were a few hundred of them and me, my sister and brother were allowed to go through and pick out the ones we liked. Out of the fifty or so paintings I took it was “The Lasseter Series “ that I was really attracted to. I had read about Lasseter and his search for the lost gold reef and most of what I’d read made his endeavour seem fraught and tragic from start to end. But Uncle Len's paintings of this tale were the opposite. His watercolours of Lasseter’s journey were refreshing and beautiful to look at. Even the painting “death” is quite radiant — it is not sad by any means.
Len Davies had an eventful life. At thirteen years of age he sold newspapers on the corner of His Majesty’s Hotel in Perth and when there weren’t many customers he drew cartoons on the wall - the publican didn’t mind because people would come and take a look and then stay for a drink. He went onto work at Baird’s Department Store and when WW2 broke out he enlisted into the airforce where he served as a rear gunner in a Lancaster Bomber. On one of his missions over enemy territory an engine blew up and the pilot told them to bale out. Len spent the rest of the war in a prison camp and when he returned home he took an art rehabilitation course. He became a political and sports cartoonist, an illustrator in London and was a fashion artist for Sears and Roebuck in Toronto. He once said “I have got about four to five hundred paintings…one day I will hold a giant exhibition”, and in some ways GOLD pays homage to Len and the exhibition he never got to have. Ashley Davies gives his uncle’s body of work new life told through music.
Ashley has recorded and produced seven solo albums. On top of this huge discography, Ashley has worked on three live theatre shows that have incorporated his own compositions. These shows were performed at festivals around the country including the Perth International Arts Festival, and the Port Fairy Folk and Queenscliff Music Festivals.
As a drummer, Ashley has played on more than 75 albums and appeared in film, TV sessions and has played live with some Australia’s of best-known artists including Matt Walker, Jeff Lang, the Models (ARIA Hall of Fame 2010), the Dingoes (ARIA Hall of Fame 2009) and Chris Wilson and the Crown of Thorns…I changed to…and has toured, filled in and played live with some of Australia’s great and well known international artists from a diverse range of genres including Matt Walker, The Models (ARIA hall of fame), Jeff Lang, Chris Whitley (U.S.A.), Jordie Lane, Rosie Flores (U.S.A.), The Dingoes (ARIA hall of fame), Lisa Miller and Rob Snarski to name a few.
The record launch will take place at the Theatrette, State Library of Victoria. Premier screening of GOLD - an Animated Rhapsody. A film based on the music and art from the new album and other works by Len Davies. There will also be an Art Exhibition of Len's work. Details can be found here
And now, to bring these beautiful works of art to life, Ash has created three musical accompaniments to the visual pieces of his uncle, Len Davies. Entitled ‘Bush’, ‘Camel’ and ‘Gold’, each is set to a timeless piece of music crafted by Ash as can be seen here at Musicology.
