Ernest Dawkins

Ernest Dawkins, heading New Horizons Ensemble, has explored sounds stretching from free bop to free form, at times revealing connections to earlier traditions while remaining resolutely forward-looking. As a youngster he recalled the rehearsals of neighbor Anthony Braxton drifting through the air. His first instruments were bass and then drums until he adopted the saxophone in 1973. He enrolled at the AACM school, trained at Vandercook College of Music, and received guidance from AACM elders that included Joseph Jarman and Chico Freeman. Following stints alongside local groups such as the AACM Big Band, Ed Wilkerson's Shadow Vignettes big band, and Douglas Ewart's Clarinet Choir, Dawkins launched New Horizons Ensemble in 1979, an outfit that matured into a pianoless sextet. The venturesome unit, whose 1994 membership comprised Dawkins, trombonist Steve Berry, trumpeter Ameen Muhammad, guitarist Jeffery Parker, bassist Yosef Ben Israel, and drummer Reggie Nicholson, has appeared consistently in Chicago, at festivals, and throughout Europe while producing three albums for the Silkheart label.