"Ashley-John Long is a virtuoso bassist and composer active in a diverse range of musical idioms including Jazz and Improvisation, Session Music, Early and Contemporary Chamber Music, and as a Soloist. He graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama with 1st Class Honors where he studied double bass with Dominic Seldis, Dudley Phillips, Nick Weldon and Paula Gardiner, and composition with Tim Raymond and Peter Reynolds.

Since graduation he has maintained a busy and varied freelance career which has taken in many strands. He has performed and recorded with some of the UK's leading Jazz musicians including Art Themen, Simon Spillett, Brandon Allen, Craig Millverton, Alan Barnes, Dave Newton, Geoff Eales, Damon Brown, Bobby Wellins, Osian Roberts, Steve Melling, as well as visiting artists including Scott Hamilton, Erin Dickens, Greg Abate and Daryl Sherman.

Ash has performed internationally as a soloist and has given premiers of numerous new works for solo bass, and toured in 2008 with French double bassist Louis-Michel Marion with a series of recitals featuring music by Xenakis, Bussotti, Scelsi and Barry Guy. Over 20 composers have written new works for him and has had performances broadcast on television and radio throughout the U.K and Europe..

A virtuoso improviser, Ash has developed a unique approach to the instrument creating innovative new performance techniques including methods of preparing the bass whilst performing and recording with some of the music's leading players, including Keith Tippett, Paul Dunmall, Phillip Gibbs, Eugene Chadbourne, Rhodri Davies, Mark Wastell, Patrick Farmer, Paul Dunmall, Dominic Lash, Alex Ward, Bruce Coates, Paul Hession and Christian Munthe.

His work in the orchestral world has taken in everything from Gabrielli to Stockhausen and he has performed as principal double bass with various ensembles, as well as playing a great deal of chamber music and co-founding Ensemble Wreckhead with Adam Bell.

From 2012-14 he toured the world with Nofit State Circus' critically acclaimed show Bianco out of which grew his collaboration with Gareth Jones, resulting in the 'A Place to Start' EP by Fireproof Giant.

As a composer, Ash has carved a niche as a creator of innovative scores that balance fine detail with freedom and flexibility whilst retaining a strong melodic sense. Recent commissions have been acclaimed for their original and inventive writing including; Flux (2006) and Hevelspending (2010) for the Lunar Saxophone Quartet, Songs of the Night (2007) for Joel Garthwaite, and XAS (2008) for himself and Louis-Michel Marion and Dance Miniatures (2013) for the Syzygy Saxophone Quartet and Shelter (2015), an opera for Asking4it productions. His works are published by Staunch Music, Recital Music and Alto Publications.

He also works as an educator and has taught at The University of Glamorgan, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff University, County Wexford School of Music (Ireland) and MusicTime School (Milan, Italy) and also teaches Mini Bass projects for Gwent Music.

He was awarded a PhD scholarship by Cardiff University in 2015 where he is undertaking research into contemporary performance practice.

Ashley is a D'Addario Performing Artist and uses Zyex and Helicore bass strings."