|
Memory In The Center
''Memory in the Center, an Afro Opera: Homage to Nelson Mandela'' is a live album by saxophonist and composer Ernest Dawkins and the Live the Spirit Residency Big Band. It was recorded at the 2014 Chicago Jazz Festival, and was released later that year by Dawkins's Dawk Music label. The recording documents the premiere of a large-scale composition that pays tribute to Nelson Mandela, who died in December 2013. Dawkins composed and conducted the work, but did not appear as a performer. Reception In a review for ''All About Jazz'', Hrayr Attarian stated that the album is "a vibrant and apt memorial to a truly inspirational man that is both timely and timeless. This intriguing and singular disc promotes social consciousness without sacrificing musical innovation and is sublimely complex while remaining accessible. It is testament of Dawkins' exquisitely creative acumen and courageous sense of morality." David Whiteis of ''JazzTimes'' called the album a "fusion of postbop melodic and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ernest Dawkins
Ernest Dawkins (born 2 November 1953 in Chicago, Illinois, United States) 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. Discography As leader *''After the Dawn Has Risen'' (Open Minds, 1992) *'' South Side Street Songs'' (Silkheart Records, 1994) *'' Chicago Now Vol. 1'' (Silkheart, 1995) *'' Chicago Now Vol. 2'' (Silkheart, 1997) *'' Mother's Blue Velvet Shoes'' (Dawk, 1998) *'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |