BAND MEMBERS:
ANDRE MANGA * OTMARO RUIZ * WALTER RODRIGUEZ * MARCELO CASERAS * DANTE PASCUZZO * MAGATTE SOW * PAPE DIOUF * FEDERICO RAMOS * AZIZ FAYE * KARA MACK * KAHLIL CUMMINGS
FLYING OVER BRIDGES, Ashley's 4th CD, also features these musicians
VINNIE COLAIUTA * JIMI M'BAYE * KAREN BRIGGS
* * BOUL BAYEKOU: I wrote this song with JASON HANN and Senegal's
shining superstar: YOUSSOU NDOUR!!!!! Waaw Waaw!* *
* * * You gotta love the King of Phrasing!!! * * *
Influences
Youssou N'Dour, Baaba Maal, Salif Keita, Oumou Sangare, Ali Farka Toure, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, Joni Mitchell, Jack Black, Sting, King Sunny Ade, James Taylor, Sara Tavares, Richard Bona, The Mahotella Queens, Vieux Farka Toure, Imogen Heap, Whitney Houston's Voice, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Hip Hop Royalty, Mary J Blige, Vusi Mahlasela, Patti Smith live, Rumi (Persian poet), Bessie Head, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Ben Okri, Dervla Murphy.
With SALIF KEITA backstage...
Sounds Like
Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon meets Youssou NDour.
Dancing to YOUSSOU NDOUR's "Ndobine" (Bercy '05).
This has been seen by nearly 65,000 on Seneweb.com!
I edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V4.4 (www.strikefile.com/myspace)
Following in the footsteps of pioneers like Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon, and sounding like Joni Mitchell meets Youssou NDour, Ashley has recorded four world class albums. Stellar songwriting, her extraordinary voice, and heavenly world grooves put Ashley in a class all her own: sublime world / folk / jazz.
NEWS : ***Currently, Ashley is finalizing artwork for her new 5th CD and preparing for its upcoming promotion.
***Ashley just returned from a summer tour where she performed as a singer (England, Scotland, Spain) ...
...and a dancer (Senegal for two weeks dancing for TV / videos / tannebeers / soiree Senegalaises / ceremonies with top dance group, Groupe Goorgoorlu). See blog above for stories and photos!
***Ashley spent the month of September 2008 at Youssou Ndour's guitar Jimi Mbaye's house, recording key members of LES SUPER ETOILES DE DAKAR for her 5th CD. See blog above for photos and details!
***YOUSSOU NDOUR flew Ashley to Dakar, Senegal, in April '08 to rehearse for two weeks with his seven Senegalese dancers. She then danced for him at a huge show in Dakar before flying to Paris to perform in front of 15,000 at Bercy. (see blog!)
***Ashley performed alongside Ry Cooder, Ben Harper, Taj Mahal and more folk luminaries at The Ash Grove's 50th Anniversary concert at Royce Hall, UCLA.
*** In October and November of '07, Ashley performed to packed venues in Boston, New York, and London, then on to the WOMEX conference in Seville Spain, and finally, Senegal, where she recorded a new song with Djibril Ndiaye Rose, made a video, and danced every single day!
*** In 2007,YOUSSOU N'DOUR released a song Ashley co-wrote (Boul Bayekou) as the first track and single from his new Senegalese release, Alsaama Day. It is now available on ITunes as part of Youssou's international CD, Rokku Mi Rokka.
*** Ashley has opened for BAABA MAAL, SALIF KEITA, ZAP MAMA, VUSI MAHLASELA, AND DOBET GNAHORE.
BIOGRAPHY: Born to British parents in Canada, and raised in California, Ashley grew up singing jazz, classical, choral, and medieval music and even studied opera in Italy for a year, before falling in love with African music at UC Berkeley. Stumbling upon a class by Ghanaian master drummer, C.K. Ladzekpo, Ashley knew she had found her calling. She studied with him for two years, graduated, and moved to London.
London was alive with world music. Ashley performed with an Afro-jazz band for two years before recording her first demos: a fusion of intricate vocals with traditional Ghanaian drumming. The demos soon came to the attention of the record companies and she signed a contract with Virgin U.K.
Virgin released two records for Ashley. The first, named "hi," was met with critical acclaim and hailed as a promising debut. The second, "Pomegranate," featured a superb selection of Paris-based African musicians and was again met with radiant press.
Since then, Ashley has continued to develop as a solo artist. She has recorded and performed in London, Paris, and L.A., sang backing vocals on records by Youssou N'Dour and The Afro-Celt Soundsystem, and performed as a dancer for many African dance troupes and for Youssou in Dakar and Paris.
Ashley recorded her third CD, "The Blessed Rain" in Paris and London with the same musicians as "Pomegranate." Acoustic and earthy, "The Blessed Rain" was rapturously received around the world by her fans.
Shortly after, Ashley relocated her family to Los Angeles when her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Since her mother's passing, she has been building her career in the USA. She released her 4th CD, Flying Over Bridges, produced by Cameroon's Andre Manga and featuring Los Angeles' world/jazz finest in 2006.
After two years of performing and promoting Flying Over Bridges, Ashley and Andre started recording her 5th CD in early 2008. Traveling to Dakar, Senegal in September 2008, she recorded five key members of Youssou Ndour's band, Les Super Etoiles de Dakar, for a month at guitarist Jimi Mbaye's house. Andre and Ashley spent the spring and early summer completing the CD in Los Angeles before she left to tour Europe and Senegal.
Ashley is currently finalizing artwork for her 5th CD and planning its promotion for the coming year.
*Maher rhymes with "star"
Blissed out, dancing sabar, opening for SALIF KEITA!!!
The first Official meeting for the "QueenDomCom" Show, 01/31/10, will be held on this Sunday, 12/20/09 @ Club Libertine @ 6pm, 8210 Sunset Bvd.
We all look forward in coming together & sharing our ideas & gifts from the Most High.
What ever your beautiful & positive talent is, we welcome it!
Sista's Unite and let's show the World The Powers of Love we have to offer in the Arts of Music! After our first tour date in Jan, we will be taking the show up North to the Bay Area, and then after that, the tour will open up many doors of opportunities that will Ignite The Movement......So Let The Healing Begin All Thru Out The Nations!
ciao ashley coma s'est passè la promotion a dakar j'espère que tout s'est passè dans le "Jamm" (la paix) are you evrytime in dakar? lm so happy of this links with you never give up the fight , toujours faire preuve face a lèpreuve il nest pas permis à tout le monnde d'ètre musicien s'il faut la faire il faut bien la faire et toi ashley tu la fais complimenti jajeufeuti waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay
cmment se passe les journèe a dakar vous etes dans un pays ou la vie est belle avec un grand B là ou les gens ne font pas la diffèrence de couleur ""yaw mom ca kaw ca kanam"" qui veut dire Ashley en haut et en avant si jamais vous venez en italy contavt moi
L’artiste-musicien burkinabè Fulgence Compaoré qui vit depuis quelques temps en France songe beaucoup à son Faso natal. La preuve, il a créé une association dénommée Nong-Taaba (Aimons-nous) pour venir en aide à ses compatriotes vivant dans les villages de Kélébali et de Kougri.
JAHJEIF SOHKNA SI NA NGA DEF ZIAR NA LA GREETINGS FROM A RAHMAN JUST PASSTO SHOW U LOVE HOPE U FINE WILL KEEP THE CONTACT KEEP THE LOVE BLAZING LOVE YAH AFRICAN VIBES A RAHMAN
A RAHMAN IN CONCERT FEST HORN FESTIVAL 2009 IN DJIBOUTI EAST AFRICAN TOUR
yes the pretty woman how you doing? I pass you wish a good Sunday and tell you that there are 3 new sounds by listening to my password page and give your opinion before on you .... well Fulgence
Released at the end of this week.....you can order it by going to http://www.sheedyfrost.co.uk and going to the store!
Have a great week!
Paul and Vincent!
Salut à vous chers zamis myspaciens... Un concert avec invités spéciaux sur Paris la semaine prochaine avec le groupe MEKTOUB... ça vous dit ? VENDREDI 11 DECEMBRE 2009 à 20h30 au BAROC' (Paris 10°) métro Belleville / Colonel Fabien 36, rue de Sambre et Meuse - 75010 Paris PAF 5 euros (pré-réservations au 06 72 08 35 35)
c'est avec un grand plaisir que j'ai reòu votre message merci pour les beaux mots utlisé bonne chance pour la promotion de l'album don't worry n you will success
mais vous dansez verry well le mbalax better than the senegalese women vous etes bien senègalisèe complimenti congretulation félicitation je suis eureux quand je vois des personnes comme vous intègrer l'AFREEK(afric) contrairement aux italiens je dis bien les italiens qui sont des ignorants je suis marié à une italienne mais toujours ce probleme de rat-scisme(racisme) jeureujeuf toi qui reconnait la valeur africaine toi qui reconnait le berceau de l'humanitè toi qui reconnait la civilisation africaine car la civilisation Egyptienne est plus ancienne au monde jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaajeuf ashley big2piss' Man ma bonn
This week remember just how important you are. We all find it easy to acknowledge the importance of others in our lives. Yet it is all too easy to overlook our own need to be nurtured and loved. So this week give yourself that extra little care and attention. In looking after our own needs, we make ourselves better people for those around us. Enjoy your own uniqueness my friend.