Today we’d like to introduce you to Simeon Davis.
Hi Simeon, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Before moving to the DFW area, I was raised in the culturally diverse and undoubtedly musical city of Cape Town, South Africa, so I think it was only a matter of time before I became deeply interested in one of the arts. I remember as a young child hearing a folk musician play violin and thought “I want to do that!” Now looking back from the vantage point of 2022 as a composer, it’s crazy to see how even that earliest musical attachment has informed my writing.
By the time I was in high school, I had started a few different instruments (the most prevalent ones that stuck with me being saxophone and violin). I’d begun writing without really understanding what I was doing, and had become interested in the sounds associated with jazz. Now, where most people enter jazz through the points of Swing like Count Basie or big-time vocal stars like Sinatra, I became introduced to it through the local take on it: South African jazz. I was binge-listening to the sounds of pianists like Abdullah Ibrahim and Moses Taiwa Molelekwa, and saxophonists like Winston Mankunku Ngozi and Robbie Jansen, and only later began digging into the more mainstream Western players – and I think that is critical to the foundation of my musical identity. I became powerfully interested in catchy melodies, strong basslines, and interesting grooves, and for a long time, harmony was of secondary importance to me.
Now, after having spent 6 years in North Texas, both writing original music and arranging South African music for my bands, I can say that these non-normative starting points are what has defined my characteristics as a writer. I love Afro-centric sounds, I sing most of my melodies when I write them, and I’m so much more interested in using music to tell stories that people can feel than merely playing exciting or flashy lines.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I think there have been patches of smoothness that acted as moments of respite, but the road has been unpredictable to get here, and will only be more so moving forward. I think one of the biggest struggles was the fact that I was (and am still in many ways) so different to the culture that surrounded me. When I first moved to North Texas from South Africa, even my vernacular and vocabulary caused an amount of culture shock. At first, this deviance in perspective felt like a problem. Over time I’ve learned that through becoming a part of the culture here while still maintaining the world view of spending 17 years overseas, I have been granted the unique strength of a wide and varied perspective, which allows me to tell more stories, connect with more people, and draw on more experiences in my music.
Practically, one of the biggest obstacles was realizing what my target is, and that if that’s different to my peers, our journeys, struggles, and achievements will look different. As a musician, I wasn’t aiming to be the greatest bebop player or the ultimate shredder on jazz standards – and when many of my peers were (and have in many ways achieved those), it was disheartening at times. My goals were different: I wanted to be an emotive musician; I wanted to be a player and composer whose focus was storytelling and every decision was active in intentional in serving that story, regardless of genre conventions and even tradition. In addition to being a composer, I’m a husband and father, and I’m proud to work to and support and provide for my family – and they will always come before any creative project, as they are my greatest treasure and truest reward.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and bandleader. I’m known for an approach to composition that strays from traditional aspects of form and genre, and instead takes elements from established styles and traditions and uses them like tools in a toolbox to create something new. My works focus on the creation of through-composed narratives, drawing on themes and tales from mythology, religion, literature, visual art, and lived experiences. Combining elements of jazz, folk, classical, and South African music, my band and I create immersive sonic worlds bound by rules we establish to subvert and appeal to expectations of the audience. Most prominently, rather than seeing each musician as simply a performer, this music places the band members into roles as musical actors, playing characters on a sonic stage. As you listen to our music ask yourself: who’s the hero, who’s the villain, and who’s the one distracting you so the rest of us can subtly change the world around you?
The band’s sophomore album, and the debut with this full ensemble, “Of Narratives & Nocturnes,” releases on June 24th. It’s a two-disc anthology featuring 8 original compositions that showcase 8 different tales we’ve spun.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
As a composer, one of my favorite things is interdisciplinary collaboration. As mentioned, so much of the music I write is inspired by external sources. On the upcoming album alone, I’ve drawn inspiration from John Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” the illustrations of Mike Mignola, Greco-Roman mythology, the Judeo-Christian creation narrative, a marine archaeologist’s journal entries, and more. I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with independent filmmakers and dancers to bring projects to life, and have written a full symphonic overture drawn from the illustrations of Sarah Navin’s “Darker Further Down.” If you are a creative or company looking to bring a project to life with music and are looking to enhance or create a narrative, my expertise and style lend itself to collaboration. Simply reach out to me through social media @simndavis to start that conversation!
For those interested in supporting this music, there is a GoFundMe running to fund the final stretch of “Of Narratives & Nocturnes” with exclusive pre-order rewards such as a digital bonus album, and die-cut acrylic pins, art prints with original poetry, tote bags, and more! Head to hyperfollow.com/simndavis for more info.
Pricing:
- $10+: once the album is released, receive a digital copy of the album in Master quality audio, with an exclusive alternate take that will not be available on streaming services.
- $25+: once the album is released, receive a physical copy of the album with 3 exclusive art prints featuring Heather MacLeod’s original artwork and Simeon Davis’s original prose put together in a tarot style. Also receive all the previous tier’s rewards.
- $35+: once the album is released, digitally receive an exclusive-to-donors Live version of the album recorded in 2019 with two unreleased compositions, “Mills Lake” (Holly Holt) and “Máscaras” (Ricardo Urbina). Also receive all previous tiers’ rewards.
- $50+: once the album is released, receive four exclusive die-cut acrylic pins, a signed poster, and a tote bag featuring Heather MacLeod’s artwork. Also receive all previous tiers’ rewards.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hyperfollow.com/simndavis
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/simndavis
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simeon.davis.56/
- Other: https://gofund.me/d432e3c2
Image Credits
Cristy Wise Photography
Studio Celeste
