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Alternating Currents Live Archive Alternating Currents Live: Making Sounds Musical |
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Alternating Currents Live presents Ernest Khabeer Dawkins & Hamid Drake Duo Sunday, June 30, 7pm $8 / $5 
Ernest Dawkins began his musical journey at the age of eight when he began
to study the bass and conga drums. At nineteen, he became mesmerized by
the sound of his father's jazz recordings of Lester Young. It was not
until he heard the alto sax of Guido Sinclair, however, that he knew this
was the instrument he wanted to play. Within a week, he had purchased his
first saxophone, clarinet, and flute, and, two weeks later, had his first
lessons from members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative
Musicians (AACM). Ernest Dawkins is the leader of several ensembles, including the New Horizons Ensemble, Chicago Trio, Live the Spirit Big Band, and is also a member of the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble. He has worked with a myriad of music greats including: Ramsey Lewis, Muhal Richard Abrams, Lester Bowie, Roscoe Mitchell, Willie Pickens, Malachi Favors, Henry Threadgill, Amina Claudine Myers, Anthony Braxton, Jack McDuff, Don Moye, Jerry Butler, and The Dells. Since 2011, he has released several highly praised recordings including: the New Horizons Ensemble's Prairie Prophet, the Chicago Trio (with Hamid Drake and Harrison Bankhead), Live at the Velvet Lounge (dedicated to Fred Anderson), and, most recently, Afro Straight. 
Hamid Drake began taking drum lessons with saxophonist Fred Anderson's son
and eventually took over the son's role as percussionist in Anderson's
group in the 1970s. This stellar ensemble included Douglas Ewart, George
Lewis, and Bill Brimfield.With his dedicated study of Afro-Cuban, Indian, and African percussion instruments and influence, he also became a member of Foday Muso Suso's Mandingo Griot Society, and was a highly sought-after drummer for various Chicago-based reggae bands. Hamid Drake has been a member of the Pierre Dorge New Jungle Orchestra, the Georg Graewe Quartet, the DKV Trio, Peter Brotzmann's Chicago Octet/Tentet, and has performed and recorded with trumpeter Don Cherry, Pharoah Sanders, Fred Anderson, Mahmoud Gania, bassist William Parker (in a large number of lineups), and has performed a solstice celebration with fellow Chicago percussionist Michael Zerang semiannually since 1991.  This concert is brought to you by the Alternating Currents Live series, broadcast on WMSE (91.7) FM, Milwaukee.
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