Past Projects - "Gift" by Chris Palmer / Big Theme Pictures

Back in 2005, Myself and Kris Byrne (long standing friend and collaborator) were asked to score a short film for writer/director Chris Palmer. The film was called "Gift" and centres around a young man with a mental illness struggling to come to terms with being in the world. The film was produced by Philip Cooper and Big Theme Pictures and was a UK Film Council funded short film.

This film is copyright Chris Palmer / Big Theme Pictures - Music copyright Chris Davis / Kris Byrne.



Current Project - Animated Film - War of the Worlds

One of the projects that I'm working on at the moment is with a very talented young film maker called Nathan Wilkes. Nathan is only 15 years old and yet he's directing a feature length animated film based on the War of the Worlds story. This isn't a remake of the recent live action film, or of the Jeff Wayne musical, but a newly created version of the story. Nathan has gathered a very talented team around him, even getting professional animators from Pixar involved with the film thanks to his talent and passion for what he does.

I've just received the first trailer for the film which is looking amazing! This is a project which is in its early stages but i'm about to start writing the score for the trailer. Nathan is a talent to watch and i'm sure this film will be great! The picture at the top of this blog post is some of the artwork from the film.

I'll mention any major announcements about the film here on the blog as the project progresses.

Nathan is also trying to get some funding together for the film - information about this can be found here: http://www.indiegogo.com/WOTW

Current Projects - Straight On Red

I thought i'd post some blogs over the coming days about various projects which i'm working on at the moment - this is the first of those.....

One of my more regular musical projects is playing percussion with a band called "Straight on Red". The band is an 8 piece contemporary jazz outfit who began life as a sort of Pat Metheny covers band (yes that's right). Since then we've developed our style and now play a whole range of funky contemporary jazz from the likes of The Brecker Brothers, Mike Stern and Steely Dan alongside the Metheny stuff and some original material. The band has played across the UK in venues and at several jazz festivals including Coventry and Wigan.

We recently spent a weekend rehearsing and writing some new original tracks at the superb Dunfield House (a residential music centre on the Welsh border) and plan to record and release a 5 track EP of this material later in the year (recording dates are set for the summer). The band are:
Phil Danter – guitar
Kris Byrne – keyboard
Chris Davis – percussion
Tim Prottey-Jones – vocals
Mike Davis – woodwind
Ben Haines – drums
Richard Beardmore – bass
Nick Ashwood – Trumpet/Flugelhorn


I'll post more news on the band, gigs and recordings as it happens - but you can also check out the band website (which does need a little updating) for images and videos of the band:  http://www.straightonred.co.uk/

Roger Harris - A Tribute

I have just heard the very sad news that Roger Harris has passed away. Not everyone will know who Roger was but he had a major influence on my early musical life.
Roger was a musician and teacher with Solihull Music Service (where I began my musical education). He was a phenomenal trumpeter and an amazingly inspirational jazzer. He taught not only me, but my teachers before me, and as such lay some of the foundations for my love and understanding of jazz. He led Solihull Youth Jazz Orchestra and also the SMC Jazz Band and many of those he taught and nurtured through these ensembles have gone on to great things. He was always fun and interesting to be around and was deeply passionate about music, jazz in particular. He had a great way of inspiring others in a unique style which made you feel confident in your own playing ability.
He will always be remembered by musicians from Solihull, and beyond, and my condolences go out to his family and friends.
His funeral will take place at St Alphege Church, Solihull, at 2.30 on Friday, 6th May.

Review - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg - Gielgud Theatre, London

On Saturday I had the very good fortune to be able to see "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg". This is a new version of the musical based on the 1964 Jacques Demy film of the same name (music by Michel Legrand). The production is directed and adapted by Emma Rice of Kneehigh Theatre with a re-orchestrated score by Michel Legrand.


The two greatest disappointments about the current production are the fact that it has already served it's closing notice (despite only opening in March) and the pitiful audience sizes (probably a contributory factor to the first point).


The production is visually stunning - with a very clever set which is beautifully lit, has cinematic fluid movement and some great effects (such as the snow fall at the end of the show). The music is sumptuous - wonderfully orchestrated (the orchestra features such gems as an accordion and a harp which give a rich palette of musical colours) and brilliantly played by an adept orchestra. The cast are all excellent but particular credit must go to Joanna Riding as Madame Emery and Cynthia Erivo as Madeleine who were both perfect in their performances. The production has been accused of being over sentimental but with Legrand's score, I don't think it has a choice to be anything but sentimental and the sentimentality adds another wonderful dimension to the emotion of the story.

I don't know whether it's the overly harsh reviews (lest we forget that Les Mis was slated by the critics) or the reluctance of audiences to give some new a try which is responsible for the poor ticket sales for the show - but I would urge anyone who has a love of musical theatre to go and see the production while they still can! It runs at the Gielgud Theatre until 21st May 2011 so do get in quick!

Rite of Spring 3D - Symphony Hall, Birmingham

Something very exciting is taking place today (21st April) in Birmingham's Symphony Hall - A performance of Stravinsky's masterpiece "The Rite of Spring" with live 3D visuals and dance.
The concept is that a single dancer interprets Stravinsky's music (played by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra) through dance. This dance is captured by cameras and then projected onto a HUGE screen. The image is fed through banks of computers first which create 3D images and add visual effects. The effects are influenced by instruments from the orchestra (which are captured via microphones to alter the images). The audience all wear 3D glasses for this awesome experience! You can read more about the project here: http://riteofspring3d.thsh.co.uk/

There are still tickets available for the 8:30pm performance tonight so do check it out if you can! It's also being performed in London on Saturday (23rd April) at Royal Festival Hall.

Forthcoming Project - Carousel (Knowle Operatic Society)

One of the future projects that I'm about to start getting my teeth into is Musical Direction for Knowle Operatic Society's production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel.
Rehearsals don't start until September but we're soon to get into the planning of production with Director Andrew Johnson and Choreographer Amy Price.

The show dates are 5th-10th March 2012 at 7:30pm with a 2:30pm Matinee on 10th. The show will take place at Solihull Arts Complex.

I'll be blogging throughout the rehearsal process so you can follow the production as it takes shape.

We'll be on the look out for a talented cast of principals and will be holding open auditions in October (rehearsals begin in September). Watch this space for more info about the show!

"Egg" by Brian Harley / Short Night Films / Call The Shots - 2008

In 2008, I wrote and recorded this score for Brian Harley's short film "Egg".
Taking Alfred Hitchcock's fear of eggs (ovophobia), this short film riffs on Hitchcock's seminal chiller, 'Psycho', and suggests how such an phobia might have been portrayed by the master of suspense and the macabre.
Written and Directed by Brian Harley (Short Night Films) and staring Alan Wales, the film was produced by Coventry Film Makers Network "Call The Shots"

Copyright Short Night Films / Call The Shots 2008

Introductions

....See I'm cluttering up this nice clean blog already!

I thought it would be useful to introduce myself properly.
So Hi!

I'm Chris Davis and i'm a musician, composer and creative bloke from Solihull, a town in the West Midlands, UK. A bit of a potted history about me:

I studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and have since worked as a musician, composer, arts manager, music teacher, workshop leader, musical director, event executive and have also had brief flirtings with the worlds of retail and research. I am currently employed as Special Projects Manager with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra but continue to write and perform music alongside this work.

I have written 3 stage musicals: "Rose" a full length original musical written with long-standing friend and collaborator Kris Byrne which premiered in Birmingham in 2006; "Extra" a children's musical, also written with Kris Byrne, and commissioned by Hatchford Brook Junior School; and "Cinderella - The Musical" commissioned by Fresh Start Theatre Company and premiered in 2002.
I've also written music for the screen with film scores for: "Gift" (Big Theme Productions / Chris Palmer - 2005) and "Out" (Gary Davis - 2006) both written with Kris Byrne; a score for Brian Harley / Short Night Films' "Egg" (2008); and work on a television pilot for the comedy show "Life is Life" (Joe Kay - 2007).
Away from stage and screen, I've written instrumental and choral works - highlights include: "Shall I Compare Thee" a setting of the Shakespeare sonnet, commissioned by Elmdon Choral Society and later recorded by The Heart of England Singers; "Winter Oratorio" commissioned by Halesowen Choral Society and premiered in 2007; "Chronology" a CD concept album written with Kris Byrne; "ConFusion" written for saxophonist (and brother) Mike Davis; and "My Heart Leaps Up" written for Elmdon Choral Society.

As a musician (drums / percussion) I have worked with artists and ensembles varying from Welsh National Opera and The Lindsay String Quartet through to S Club 7 and countless musical theatre productions. I'm currently the percussionist with Straight On Red a contemporary jazz ensemble, and also perform regularly with many other bands and ensembles.

I'll post some pictures and videos of my previous work over the coming days. Watch this space!

Until then....

The First Post

In the words of the inimitable Sir David Frost - Hello, good evening and welcome....

.....welcome to my shiny new blog. Look at it. Untouched by filthy hands, pure as the day its code was born. Enjoy it. It won't take long for it to become a bit crusty around the edges, full of posts and creaking at the seams. We all let ourselves go. I hope you enjoy what time you spend here. It's a place of refuge for my thoughts, views, comments, opinions and information about my projects - some of which will be useful and interesting.

I'll post an introduction to me (who I am, what I do, why I do it) a little later. Lets just wallow in the glory of this single post blog for a short while....