Ernest Dawkins (born 2 November 1953 in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, United States) is an American jazz

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pro ...

, principally active in

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians duri ...

and

post-bop Post-bop is a genre of small-combo jazz that evolved in the early to mid 1960s in the United States. Pioneers of the genre, such as Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, John Coltrane and Jackie McLean, crafted syntheses ...

. Ernest Khabeer Dawkins was a neighbor of

Anthony Braxton Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Ch ...

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 The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1965 in Chicago by pianist Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran. The AACM is devot ...

, such as

Joseph Jarman Joseph Jarman (September 14, 1937 – January 9, 2019) was an American jazz musician, composer, poet, and Shinshu Buddhist priest. He was one of the first members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and a member of the ...

and

Chico Freeman Chico Freeman (born Earl Lavon Freeman Jr.; July 17, 1949) is a modern jazz tenor saxophonist and trumpeter and son of jazz saxophonist Von Freeman. He began recording as lead musician in 1976 with ''Morning Prayer'', won the New York Jazz Award ...

, as well as at the

Vandercook College of Music VanderCook College of Music is a private music school in Chicago, Illinois. It is the only college in the United States solely specializing in the training of music educators. Students may pursue a Bachelor of Music in Education (B.M.Ed.), Maste ...

. He worked with Ed Wilkerson and the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble and

Douglas Ewart Douglas R. Ewart (born 13 September 1946 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican multi-instrumentalist and instrument builder. He plays sopranino and alto saxophones, clarinets, bassoon, flute, bamboo flutes ('' shakuhachi'', '' ney'', and pan ...

before founding his own New Horizons Ensemble, which played regularly in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

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 Silkheart Records is a Swedish record company and label dedicated to improvised music and free jazz. Lars-Olof Gustavsson and Keith Knox founded Silkheart in 1985. In 1991, Jimmy Johnson of Forced Exposure suggested that Silkheart "could easily ...

, 1994) *'' Chicago Now Vol. 1'' (Silkheart, 1995) *'' Chicago Now Vol. 2'' (Silkheart, 1997) *'' Mother's Blue Velvet Shoes'' (Dawk, 1998) *'' Jo'burg Jump'' (

Delmark Records Delmark Records is an American jazz and blues independent record label. It was founded in 1958 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. The label originated in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1953 when then owner, and founder, Bob Koester released a record ...

, 2000) *'' Cape Town Shuffle'' (Delmark, 2003) *''Misconception of a Delusion Shades of a Charade'' (Dawk, 2003) *'' Mean Ameen'' (Delmark, 2004) *'' The Messenger'' (CD and DVD) (Delmark, 2006) *''A Black Op'Era: Dedicated to Chairman

Fred Hampton Fredrick Allen Hampton Sr. (August 30, 1948 – December 4, 1969) was an American activist. He came to prominence in Chicago as deputy chairman of the national Black Panther Party and chair of the Illinois chapter. As a progressive African Ame ...

'' recorded live at Sons d'hiver Festival 2006 in Paris (Dawk, 2007) *''Un-Till Emmett Till'' (Dawk, 2009) *'' The Prairie Prophet'' (Delmark, 2011) *'' Velvet Songs'' ( RogueArt), 2011) *'' Afro Straight'' (Delmark, 2012) *''

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 ...

'' (Dawk, 2014)

As unofficial leader/co-leader

with The ( AACM) Great Black Music Ensemble * ''Sparx of Love, Sparx of Fire! A Tribute to Martin Sparx Alexander'' (Great Black Ensemble, 2008) * ''At Umbria Jazz 2009'' (

Musica Jazz ''Musica Jazz'' is an Italian monthly magazine specializing in jazz. Founded in 1945 by journalist Gian Carlo Testoni, it is one of the world's longest-running jazz magazines, publishing reviews and news articles covering the jazz genre; it once p ...

, 2010) * ''Live @ The Currency Exchange Cafe, Vol. 1'' (AACM Chicago Productions, 2018 or 2019)

As guest

with Ethnic Heritage Ensemble * '' The Continuum'' (Delmark, 1997) * '' Papa's Bounce'' (CIMP, 1998) * ''

Freedom Jazz Dance ''Freedom Jazz Dance'' is an album by Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, a jazz band formed by percussionist Kahil El'Zabar, who is joined by trombonist Joseph Bowie, saxophonist Ernest Dawkins and special guest guitarist Fareed Haque. It was recorded ...

'' (Delmark, 1999)

References

* Scott Yanow, Ernest Dawkinsat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dawkins, Ernest 1953 births Living people American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Delmark Records artists 21st-century American saxophonists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Ethnic Heritage Ensemble members RogueArt artists