Ernest Dawkins
Encyclopedia
Ernest Dawkins is an American
jazz saxophonist
, principally active in free jazz
and post-bop
.
Ernest Khabeer Dawkins was a neighbor of Anthony Braxton
as a child. He played bass and drums early in life before switching to saxophone in 1973. During that decade he began studying with members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
, such as Joseph Jarman
and Chico Freeman
, as well as at the Vandercook College of Music
. He worked with Ed Wilkerson and the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble
and Douglas Ewart
before founding his own New Horizons Ensemble, which played regularly in Chicago
into the 2000s, as well as at jazz festivals and on tour in Europe.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, principally active in free jazz
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
and post-bop
Post-bop
Post-bop is a term for a form of small-combo jazz music that evolved in the early-to-mid sixties. The genre's origins lie in seminal work by John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock...
.
Ernest Khabeer Dawkins was a neighbor of Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton is an American composer, saxophonist, clarinettist, flautist, pianist, and philosopher. Braxton has released well over 100 albums since the 1960s...
as a child. He played bass and drums early in life before switching to saxophone in 1973. During that decade he began studying with members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians is a non-profit organization, founded in Chicago, Illinois, United States, by pianist/composer Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran....
, such as Joseph Jarman
Joseph Jarman
Joseph Jarman , is a jazz musician, composer and Shinshu Buddhist priest. He is perhaps best known as one of the first members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and the Art Ensemble of Chicago.-Early life:Jarman grew up in Chicago, Illinois...
and Chico Freeman
Chico Freeman
Chico Freeman is a modern jazz tenor saxophonist and trumpeter and son of jazz saxophonist Von Freeman...
, as well as at the Vandercook College of Music
Vandercook College of Music
VanderCook College of Music is a private, liberal arts college in Chicago, Illinois, and is the only college in the country solely specializing in the training of music educators. Students may pursue a Bachelor of Music in Education , Master of Music in Education , and Master of Music in Education...
. He worked with Ed Wilkerson and the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble
Ethnic Heritage Ensemble
Ethnic Heritage Ensemble is an American jazz ensemble with several notable members, including Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, Kahil El'Zabar, Joseph Bowie, Ernest Dawkins, Light Henry Huff and Edward Wilkerson....
and Douglas Ewart
Douglas Ewart
Douglas R. Ewart is a multi-instrumentalist and instrument builder. He plays sopranino and alto saxophones, clarinets, bassoon, flute, bamboo flutes , and didgeridoo; as well as Rastafarian hand drums .Ewart emigrated to the United States in June 1963 and became...
before founding his own New Horizons Ensemble, which played regularly in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
into the 2000s, as well as at jazz festivals and on tour in Europe.
Discography
- South Side Street Songs (Silkheart RecordsSilkheart Records- External links :* *...
, 1994) - Chicago Now, Vol. 1 (Silkheart, 1994)
- Chicago Now, Vol. 2 (Silkheart, 1994)
- Jo'Burg Jump (Delmark RecordsDelmark RecordsDelmark Records is an independent American jazz and blues record label, based in Chicago since 1958. The label originated in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1953 when owner Bob Koester released a recording of the Windy City Six, a traditional jazz group, under the "Delmar" imprint.-History:Born in 1932 in...
, 2000) - Cape Town Shuffle: Live at Hot House (Delmark, 2003)
- Mean Ameen (New Horizons Ensemble)(Delmark, 2004)
- The Messenger: Live at the Original Velvet Lounge (New Horizons Ensemble)(CD and DVD)(Delmark, 2006)
- The Prarie Prophet (New Horizons Ensemble)(Delmark, 2011)
- Velvet Songs - To Baba Fred Anderson (Chicago Trio)(Rogue Art, 2011)