Acoustic Bassist, Composer
“Summers will be a bassist to follow; she gets a strong wood sound from her instrument and she pays close attention to the other musicians…”
- National Post
At the young age of 21, Ashley Summers has collected musical experiences and opportunities that reach well beyond her years. With her musical family as her earliest inspiration in Vancouver, BC, she began to play the acoustic bass at the age of fifteen, and two years later moved to Toronto to pursue a musical education at Humber College. It was there that she began to study with the legendary Don Thompson while working towards a Bachelor's Degree in Jazz Performance.
Ashley’s International debut was made possible when she was selected to be a member of the 2003 Sisters In Jazz All-Star Quintet, an International Collegiate Competition sponsored by IAJE and BET on Jazz. As the bass player for the group, she had the opportunity to perform for crowds of up to 4,000 people at the annual IAJE Conference, while working with such mentors as Terry-Lynne Carrington, Christine Jensen, and Ingrid Jensen. The group also had the honour of performing at the Mary Lou Williams Women In Jazz Festival in May at the Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington, DC. In July of the same year they completed a tour of Europe, playing such legendary festivals as Jazz a Vienne in France, the North Sea Jazz Festival in Amsterdam, and the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy.
Nationally, Ashley has performed at various venues across Canada as both a leader and sideperson, and was recently selected to play in the 2002 National Jazz Youth Ensemble at the Ottawa Jazz Festival. At the Banff Centre in May of 2002, she had the opportunity to study and perform with Dave Douglas, Jim Black, and Chris Potter. In Vancouver and Toronto, she has had the pleasure of performing with some of her favourite Canadian musicians including Brad Turner, Campbell Ryga, Ross Taggart, Ted Quinlan, and Jane Bunnett.
After finishing her Bachelors Degree, Ashley hopes to further explore the international music scene, as both a bassist and composer. Ultimately, her ideal is to follow the spirit of the moment, and go where the music takes her
www.tylersummers.com