Ernest Dawkins’ New Horizons Ensemble – Cape Town Shuffle

[Fred K]

I haven’t noticed anyone else on JC listening to this, but it’s definitely one of my favorite releases so far this year. There are gospel blues, and AACM influences everywhere combined with the joyous South African influence. It’s a fun, very listenable recording that should appeal to everyone, but with enough adventurous playing that it should hold up on repeated listening. I could live with Kahari B. (billed as the “Disco Poet”) on the last cut; fortunately he’s just a small part of a wonderful CD. The late Ameen Muhammad contributes a fun, church sermon-style vocal to “Third Line and the Cape Town Shuffle.” The playing is stellar throughout. Highly recommended.



Ernest Dawkins’ New Horizons Ensemble - Cape Town Shuffle Live at Hothouse
(Delmark, 2003) Recorded August 6 & 7, 2002

Ernest Khabeer Dawkins – alto, tenor saxophone
Ameen Muhammad – trumpet
Steve Berry – trombone
Darius Savage – bass
Avreeayl Ra – drums
Kahari B. – poetry on “Jazz to Hip Hop”

1. Toucouleur (Dawkins) 14:00
2. Third Line and the Cape Town Shuffle (Dawkins) 19:48
3. Dolphy and the Monk Dance (Dawkins) 14:07
4. Jazz to Hip Hop (Dawkins/Kahari B.) 14:18

[Uli]

Havent' heard it yet, Fred, but will definitively get it as their previous records. Fortunately I can hear them quite often live and have heard the Horizons just recently a couple of times with a slightly different lineup as Dawkins was gettin them in shape for a trip to France.

[Darryl G. Thomas]

I got it in the mail last week. Instantly liked it but haven't had a chance to revisit it to make a serious comment about the music. For the moment the best I can say is that it's a disc worth revisiting. I buy a lot of music and I don't say that often.

Seeing the New Horizons Ensemble live in Paris last year was a blast.

Some of the grooves on this new album really cook. Not all of the soloing exites me, although Dawkins himself almost always has something interesting to play.

My son is an underground hip hop purist who sticks his nose up very quickly at what he believes to be insincerity or imitation. He is very hard to please, and thinks very little of Steve Coleman's fusion, for example. To my surprise, he gave the track on this album, "Jazz to Hip Hop (to Beatbox to Bebop)" a thumbs up.


Ameen Mohammed, RIP

[mke]

Originally posted by John L
He is very hard to please, and thinks very little of Steve Coleman's fusion, for example

But he will learn. In time.

[Sergio Zamora]

This is on the to-get list. I love Dawkins' albums.