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!!!
bienvenue dans mon univers.bonne continuation et je vois votre amour pour le senegal vous vivez "votre senegalité " le senegalisme vous procurera toujours l'envie de vivre
I'm going to try to bring my behind to her class but it my not happen because I have a colloge gear up meeting every Tuesday for the next 9 weeks so we migt be coming back in Dec. or we might come on Sat. thanks for the add.
Just passing by on your page. I don't use Myspace so often at the moment. Do you know that I listen to your music sometimes while running ? It makes me want to shake my derrière while running but is at the same time very good to keep the pace.
Merci pour tout , tes passages , tes mots , ton soutien et ta présence , que dieu veille sur toi comme le soleil qui ce lève au pays , bénédictions et succès sur ton chemin.... www.youtube.com/f02091975 Fulgence
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