Hi, I'm Dave Ashley. I play trombone. I'm introducing myself, because everybody knows that on MySpace, everyone writes their own bios anyway, right?
My first trombone influence was J.J. No, not the jazz trombone legend J.J Johnson. I'm talking about J.J. Maxwell who, one day when we were ten years old, came strolling up the sidewalk to my house , carrying something. He opened up a long black case on the grass in my front yard, put together some musical instrument I'd seen a couple of times, and proceeded to make a glorious noise that echoed off the houses in the neighborhood. He packed up his new trombone, walked away to his first band practice, and I never saw him again. We moved a thousand miles away to the Boston suburbs the very next day.
When we went to my new elementary school to register, the secretary asked if I wanted to play in the band. I hadn't planned to, but then I heard that sound echoing off all the houses, and I told her I wanted to play trombone.
That was twenty-two years, fifty states, fourteen countries, eight cruise ships, five tours and, believe it or not, only two suitcases ago.
I've recently returned to my home city of Lexington, Kentucky after over seven years of travel. I'm playing locally again, teaching at Hurst Music, and finishing a degree in Radio/Television Broadcasting. It doesn't hurt to have some extra skills. I am a trombone player, after all.
P.S. I get a number of messages from musicians asking how to get work on ships. That is fine. I'm totally cool with it, but don't try to claim me as a recommendation. The last time someone tried to do that by e-mail, the agent sent a very sarcastic reply which he copied to all musical directors on that particular line.
I think I still have it if you ever want to see it.
And now for some stuff that I've copied and pasted from my resume:
Media Quotes : "A name to watch for in the future" - Cadence Magazine "A fabulous trombone player - an eye-opening experience for me" - Jazz trombone legend Bill Watrous "Creative, energetic trombone.....a real burner" - All About Jazz Magazine
Performances with: Tom Harrell, Louie Bellson, The Manhattan Transfer, Bob Mintzer, Conrad Herwig, Roy Hargrove, Marty Allen, Bobby Shew, Marvin Stamm, David Sanchez, Allen Vizzutti, John Davidson, Herb Pomeroy, Bill Watrous, Phil Wilson, Lorna Luft, Lin Biviano, Matt "Big Kahuna" Catingub, Ben Vereen, Charo, Quick Change, The Platters, The Happenings, The Drifters, The Four Aces, The Pied Pipers, The Diamonds, The Coasters, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, Yakov Smirnoff, Billy Gilman, Susan Anton, Scott Hartman, Ron Barron, Blair Bollinger, Phillip Smith, the Columbus Pops Orchestra, The Lexington Brass Band, the Miles Osland Little Big Band, the Dimartino/Osland Jazz Orchestra, the Kenny Hadley Big Band (Boston), the Kentucky Jazz Repertory Orchestra , Saxton's Cornet Band, and the The Dennis Noday Jazz Orchestra (south Florida). Spent two full years touring with the world famous Glenn Miller Orchestra directed by Larry O'Brien; during that time held all three tenor trombone chairs and recorded two albums. Also performed in the pit orchestras for the National Tour of "42nd Street" from 2005 to 2006 and the National Tour and Atlantic City production of the Mel Brooks musical "The Producers" from 2006 to 2008.
Performances at various events, festivals, etc. including
The International Association of Jazz Educators annual convention,
Eastern Trombone Workshop,
International Trumpet Guild convention,
The Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic,
Berklee College of Music Jazz Festival,
Notre Dame University Jazz Festival,
University of Louisville's "Jazz Week"
Elmhurst Jazz Festival,
North American Brass Band Association annual conference,
Great American Brass Band Festival,
All-England Masters Brass Band Championship (featured soloist),
the NCAA Basketball Final Four,
Massachusetts Music Educators Association Conference,
Kentucky Music Educators Association Conference,
Lead trombone on all Walrus Music Publishing's Demo Recordings from 1995-2000 and 2005-2006, Special recordings for BBC 2 Radio and XM Satellite Radio.
Cruise ships: Crystal Symphony, the American-Hawaii Independence, Seven Seas Mariner, Seven Seas Voyager, Royal Caribbean Voyager Of The Seas and Radiance Of The Seas, and the Carnival Victory
Here is the Dimartino-Osland Jazz Orchestra (DOJO) featuring Bob Mintzer, Rick Cook and myself on the solos
Here is one of the stupid things I had to play for on cruise ships. This is known as the "spoon game", a two-team game involving a spoon with a rope tied to it. Pretty self explanatory in the video.....(rhythm changes @ 330bpm)
Here's a video montage from the "42nd Street" tour. I was playing a hastily-condensed book of all trombone books, the french horn book, and the 3rd trumpet book. My part was all over the place -- two octave leaps, super high notes, and hand-in-the-bell french horn impressions were the norm. The brass was myself and two trumpets, and I think we sounded much bigger.
This is a video of the Dimartino/Osland Jazz Orchestra (A.K.A. DOJO) playing "Blues In My Shoes" featuring myself and the excellent trombonist David Henderson on dueling trombones and Jay Flippin on the opening piano solo.
Here I am taking my friend DJ Kennedy's Earl Williams Model 6 for a spin "Modabones"
Thank you very much for your friendship.
I'm going to put unique videos you wouldn't find somewhere else, as well as private pictures, tour info and many many more on my page.
Be the first to check this cool stuff out!
Love.
Tata
GREAT NEWS:
MY BEST ALBUMS ARE ALREADY AVAILABLE ON iTunes.
ELIJAH set to Perform at the ANNUAL EVOLUTION BLOCK PARTY June 14th in Detroit. This event will be hosted by Roxy of 106 & Park and Idris Elba of The Wire! The DJ for the BLOCK PARTY with be No Other than DJ Jazzy Jeff.
I wrote a new sound: Bring out the best of you. Just stop by and tell me if you like it. www. myspace. com/RelaxInPanic La vie est belle...Relax In Panic
Uprzejmie zapraszamy na premierowy koncert polsko-ukraińskiego zespołu
(sekstetu) 'Warszawa Kyiv Express' 9 kwietnia 2009 w czwartek o
godz. 23 w klubie TYGMONT (górna scena), ul. Mazowiecka 6/8 w
Warszawie.
'Warszawa Kyiv Express' gra muzykę, która podoba się fanom etno jazzu.
Wykonuje własny, autorski repertuar inspirowany folklorem polskim i
ukraińskim, a także muzyką mniejszości etnicznych zamieszkujących te
kraje.
Autorami kompozycji są Piotr Karol Sawicki i Cat Donskoj.
'Warszawa Kyiv Express' tworzą:
Cat Donskoj (trąbka/puzon); Mariusz Kozłowski (saksofony); Piotr Karol
Sawicki (fortepian); Paweł Pańta (kontrabas); Witek Wilk (perkusja);
Adam Lewandowski (perkusjonalia).
