Prairie Prophet, The

Dawkins, Ernest / New Horizons Ensemble
Delmark Records
Jazz | May 2011

Reviews

Fo
Reviewed 2011-05-01
ERNEST DAWKINS’ NEW HORIZONS ENSEMBLE: The Prairie Prophet
Delmark, 2011

AVANT/BOP – Ernest Dawkins, a longtime star of the Chicago/AACM scene, pays tribute to the late great saxophonist/club owner Fred Anderson (1929-2010). There’s a very loose feel here, almost like a live recording, as the NHE navigates spirited freebop obstacle courses. Their collective love for Anderson shines through as the band plays it straight or wild, old-school or futuristic, sometimes all at once. Very solid work.

Fo’s Picks: 2, 3, 4, 5, 7

1. 8:09 – lightly waltzing bop: easygoing trumpet bounce, insistently searing sax
2. 12:07 – starts in speedy abstraction with hot horns, then settles into a hip riffing section; warped space guitar, awesome bass solo, ends where it began
3. 2:21 – slow lament, great sound: sax wails over turbulent ensemble support
4. 10:40 – cool modern-bop wiggle: a salute to Malachi Favors & Lester Bowie, with great solos all around over an infectious one-note bassline
5. 11:05 – lots going on here: sax goes “out” against fast drums, contemplative trombone, then amazing bass sets up an exotic rolling groove
6. 6:50 – relaxed eastern lope: meandering solos take their time
7. 13:27 – upbeat bounce, very catchy with perky solos… final 3 minutes are an anti-war statement with spoken word

[ Fo ] 05/01/11

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Charting

2011-05-01 — 2011-07-03 Jazz
Week EndingAirplays
Jul 3 1
Jun 19 1
Jun 12 1
Jun 5 1
May 29 2
May 22 1
May 8 2

Track listing

1. Hymn For A Hip King
2. Sketches
3. Balladesque
4. Mal-Lester
5. Shades Of The Prairie Prophet
6. Mesopotamia
7. Baghdad Boogie