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On Ka'a Davis

About Me

A long time resident musician, artist and activist of New York's Lower East Side, On has been a constant contributor to its edgy creative esthetic. On's formal training was that as a concertise of the classical guitar, culminating in studies at the Hochschule for Music and Performering Arts in Vienna, arriving there at the age of 19. While living in New York, On studied in the open classes with Barry Harris but mostly was schooled in 'jazz' on the bandstand playing next to the countless music greats that rule here. Over the years, On has been involved in making music of nearly every genre. On has worked with formal composers, rockers, jazzers and with avant gardists. Of especial note, On has played together with such artists as Sun Ra as a member of his Arkestra, Charles 'Bobo' Shaw in his Human Arts Ensemble, Luther Thomas, Don Ayler in his septet, Denis Charles, Khusenaton Shu Amon and Phillip Wilson. In the middle 90's, On collaborated with reedmen Daniel Carter and Sabir Mateen and with drummer Thom Corn and bassist Dan O'Brian to form the group 'The Future'. On produces cds for his publishing house, On Mu Music (ASCAP), that feature his collaborative efforts as well as his leader dates having so far released 28 titles! More recently, these efforts have included such artist as Daniel Carter, Matthew Shipp, Juini Booth, Sabir Mateen, Radu Ben Judah, Tess Marsalis, Andrew Lamb, Jojo Kuo (Fela Kuti) and Marie Afonso (Zap Mama) to name just a few. On has also contributed to numerous other recording projects of other arrangements. Recently (2006), On has published his first book, entitled, “Exerciricle: Keys to Museo-Ontology”, an unprecedented book the delves into the studies of music as meta-physical-inspiritualized phenomena, set up as a series of aphorisms that serves as a manual directive of meditations upon attaining one's higher creative potentials. On also works very often with drummer Kenny Wollessen and as has formed together with current members of Wollessen's 'Himalayas' with drummer Dalius Naujo and multi-instrumentalist Nick Gianni, at times adding drummer/ electronica designer Daniel Jodocy and poetess Chantal Ughi to form the ambient-free improvising group 'Cartoon Satellite'. On leads two other projects; one is a continual studio endeavor called 'X-Ray Search Light Project' and the other a pulse-beat voodoo jazz band called 'Djuke Obbo', which develops what On has coined 'djuke music'.

For a more detailed listing of discography, see the listings posted here at AAJ (publishers-labels).

More profile information, a more complete discography, photos, comments and interviews may be found by visiting these internet sites:

OnMuMusic.com...myspace/OnDavis... myspace/djukeobbo...myspace/djukemusic...myspace/cartoonsatelite