Douglas R. Ewart & Quasar

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courtesy the artists

Douglas R. Ewart & Quasar

Douglas R. Ewart is an emeritus professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a past chair of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, just two guideposts in a wide-ranging career in music and other mediums of artistic expression. At this pair of concerts on the theme of “Sounds and Songs for a New Paradigm,” Ewart will lead a group of fierce improvisational musicians including singer and storyteller Mankwe Ndosi, bassist Darius Savage, and drummer Davu Seru.

Two shows: 7 & 9 PM. $20/show

media release: From Douglas R. Ewart:

"Sounds and Songs for a New Paradigm"

When we are able to thoroughly self-interrogate, make an overall assessment of our conducts, making changes based on not repeating the same mistakes, being thoughtful in the areas that make life better for all concerned, being courteous in the small ways, parking and leaving room for others to park, picking up things that could make someone fall on the sidewalk and in a store, taking a bag to the store rather than getting yet another plastic bag, listening to others with all our attention focused on them without interruption, buying something for someone that cannot afford it and the item would give them great joy, giving money to people less fortunate than you as you really don't need yet another pair of shoes, shirt, drink; recognizing the hardships so many people around the globe face every day of their lives as they have no aunt, uncle, friend, organization that can assist them in anyway as you had and/or have, and so on.

Washing the Mind and Spirit is also changing aspects of oneself that we know are an abuse of our position and authority, and being grateful and thankful for all the wonderful things that we have in our lives.

Cultivate great over-standing, empathy, and compassion.

Commit deliberate acts of kindness.

"If you have, you have enough to share," is what we were always taught by our Paternal Grandmother, and both of our Maternal and Paternal Grand Mothers exhibited this philosophy, concept, and behavior throughout their lives.

Joy is the World when We endeavor to make it so!

Walk Gud.

Douglas R. Ewart, Professor Emeritus at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1946. His life and his wide-ranging work have always been inextricably associated with Jamaican culture, history, politics, and the land itself. His father, Tom Ewart, was one of cricket’s most internationally celebrated professional umpires, eventually earning induction into the Cricket Hall of Fame. His aunt, Iris King, was a leading member of Norman Manley’s People’s National Party, and later, the first woman mayor in Jamaica.

Professor Ewart immigrated to Chicago in 1963, where he studied music theory at VanderCook College of Music, electronic music at Governors State University, and composition at the School of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. The AACM is renowned for its wide-ranging experimental approaches to music; its leading lights include Muhal Richard Abrams, Joseph Jarman, Fred Anderson, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Anthony Braxton, Lester Bowie, Kalaparusha Ara Difda, George Lewis, Malachi Maghostut Favors, Roscoe Mitchell, Amina Claudine Myers, Henry Threadgill, and many others, including Professor Ewart himself, who served as the organization's president between 1979 and 1987.

Davu Seru is a Saint Paul, MN-based drummer, improvising musician and composer. He’s worked with numerous improvising musicians and composers throughout the United States and France including Anthony Cox, Milo Fine, George Cartwright, Nirmala Rajasekar, Dean Magraw, Evan Parker, Didier Petit, Jack Wright, Babatunde Lea, Rafael Toral, Tomeka Reid, Donald Washington and Nicole Mitchell. He is the bandleader for the ensembles Motherless Dollar and No Territory Band. More info at www.davuseru.com.

Mankwe Ndosi is a Composer, Evoker, and Culture Worker based in Minneapolis who works in sound and soil. Her practices emerge from black ritual legacies of music and performance learned through Douglas R. Ewart, Laurie Carlos, Oksana Bryn, Sharon Bridgeforth, Amoke Kubat, Libby Turner, Nicole Mitchell, Miriam Makeba, ancestors, earth, and collaboration.

Darius Savage has played a wide variety of music, from rock, punk and disco to jazz, salsa, gospel and world music. Specializing in improvisation on the upright and fretless basses, he has performed with such luminaries as Von Freeman, Fred Anderson, Ernest Dawkins, Stanley Turrentine, Nicole Mitchell and Malachi Thompson. He is currently involved with the budding Chicago Afro-Puerto Rican Ensemble in addition to being a member of Douglas Ewart’s Invention and Nyabinghi Drum Choir, Dushun Mosely’s Outlineers.