Dedicated to Ann E. Ward and John Coltrane
The polymathic Douglas R. Ewart has been honored for his work as a composer, improvising multi-instrumentalist, conceptual artist, sculptor and mask- and instrument designer. Also an educator, Ewart bridges his kaleidoscopic activities with a vision that opposes today’s divided world. His culture-fusing works aims to restore the wholeness of communities and of the individuals within them, and to emphasize the reality that the world is an interdependent entity.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Ewart immigrated to Chicago, Illinois in 1963. There he studied with the master musicians of the Association for the Advancement (AACM).
Ewart is the founder of Aarawak Recording Company, leader of ensembles such as the Nyhbingi Drum Choir, Quasar and Douglas R. Ewart & Inventions, and a designer and creator of instruments that have been exhibited in venues such as: Houston’s Contemporary Arts Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Field Museum of Natural History, “Crepuscule,” his vast periodic conceptual work, is collectively composed by scores of musicians, artists, dancers and activists. Ewart’s honors include a U.S. Japan Creative Arts Fellowship, two Bush Artists Fellowships, and an Outstanding Artist Award granted by a former Chicago Mayor. He is a Professor Emeritus at the School of the Arts Institute of Chicago.plation and the energies of the community/audience.
Duriel Harris – poetry & percussion
Mwata Bowden – winds & percussion
Edward Wilkerson – winds & percussion
Dushun Mosley – drums
Darius Savage – bass
Douglas R. Ewart – winds, vocals & percussion
“We traverse the sonic wildernesses seeking sounds unknown and unheard, and we endeavor to fuse them and to create sonic-stories and pictures seldom…if ever encountered!” Douglas R. Ewart