Risk Taking Composer, Pianist and Champion of Jazz Education
Ashby Anderson has come a long way, from learning to play the piano at age 19. He transformed that skill into scholarships for college while composing music for small jazz ensembles in Atlanta Georgia and Richmond, VA. Ashby later became a music theory genius by consolidating what he learned into theoretical ideas that fueled his output of original music composition. Those ideas eventually progressed into a 9-Tone System® of Harmony and Scales That is Not Taught at Any College or University
Currently he teaches his method of music composition using the 9-Tone System® internationally and in the U.S. through the MOTUS ADVANCED MUSIC THEORY PORTAL.
While pursuing his visions of entrepreneurship in 2006, he built his own rehearsal/ performance space called THE MUSE CREATIVE WORKSPACE. His goal was to produce his own concerts using the DIY model developed by musicians Ornette Coleman and Sam Rivers.
During 2008 Ashby and his wife Terri combined their experience as educators and developed THE RICHMOND YOUTH JAZZ GUILD which paved the way for the next generation of Jazz Musicians. It became a college prep program and educated underserved students (age 6-18) from his community. Collectively those he trained received over 1.6 million in scholarship to attend college and national arts programs.
Currently Ashby composes original orchestrations for the BMI/NY Jazz Orchestra, Ashby Anderson's V.I.B.E. and his 22 Piece Afrikan Arkestra. He has recorded, composed, conducted, orchestrated, produced and published 5 albums. During the Covid-19 Pandemic, Ashby released 3 music singles on all Music streaming platforms.
He has recieved commissions from Meet The Composer, New Music USA’s Commissioning Music /USA program, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, The Helen F.Whitaker Fund, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trust and a Fellowship for Jazz Composition from the Virginia Commision for The Arts.
