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Following in the footsteps of pioneers like Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon, and sounding like Joni Mitchell meets Youssou NDour, Ashley has recorded five 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 :
***Ashley spent November '09 in Dakar, Senegal, promoting her new 5th CD, Amina. She was interviewed on TV and radio, by newspapers and magazines, and opened for Orchestra Baobab at Just 4 U.
***In June and July '09, Ashley toured England and Scotland before headlining at the FIMEC World Music Festival in Southern Spain. She spent two weeks in August in Dakar, Senegal, performing with dancers / tassou artists, Goorgoorlu. (See blog for stories and photos!)
***Ashley spent 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 for stories and photos!)
***YOUSSOU NDOUR flew Ashley to Dakar, Senegal, in April '08 to rehearse for two weeks with his Senegalese dancers. She then danced for his Dakar show at Sorano before flying to Paris to perform before 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 in Boston, New York, and London, then on to the WOMEX conference in Seville Spain, and Senegal, where she recorded a new song with Djibril Ndiaye Rose, and made a video.
*** In 2007,YOUSSOU N'DOUR released a song Ashley co-wrote (Boul Bayekou) for his Senegalese release, Alsaama Day. It is available on ITunes as part of Youssou's international CD, Rokku Mi Rokka.
*** Ashley has opened for BAABA MAAL, SALIF KEITA, ORCHESTRA BAOBAB, 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 of 2009 completing the CD in Los Angeles before she left to tour Europe and Senegal.
Ashley is currently planning to promote her new 5th CD, Amina during 2010.
*Maher rhymes with "star"
Blissed out, dancing sabar, opening for SALIF KEITA!!!
