Douglas Ewart facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Douglas Ewart/Douglas R. Ewart
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| Birth name | Douglas R. Ewart |
| Born | 13 September 1946 Kingston, Jamaica |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, Instrumentalist, Instrument Builder, Educator, Community Builder, Philosopher, Writer |
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Douglas R. Ewart (born September 13, 1946, in Kingston, Jamaica) is a super talented musician from Jamaica. He plays many different instruments and even builds his own! He is also a composer, a teacher, and someone who helps build strong communities.
Douglas Ewart plays a wide variety of instruments. These include the tiny sopranino and the larger alto saxophones. He also plays clarinets, bassoon, and different kinds of flutes. Some of his flutes are made from bamboo flutes, like the shakuhachi and ney. He also plays panpipes and the didgeridoo. Plus, he plays Rastafarian hand drums like the nyabingi, repeater, and bass drums.
Douglas Ewart's Journey
Douglas Ewart moved to the United States in June 1963. He settled in Chicago. In 1967, he joined a very important music group called the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). He learned a lot from famous musicians like Joseph Jarman and Roscoe Mitchell. He even became the president of the AACM from 1979 to 1986.
Working with Other Artists
Douglas Ewart has performed and recorded with many amazing musicians. Some of these include Muhal Richard Abrams, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Anthony Braxton, Anthony Davis, Robert Dick, Von Freeman, Amina Claudine Myers, Roscoe Mitchell, James Newton, Wadada Leo Smith, Cecil Taylor, and Henry Threadgill.
In 1992, Douglas Ewart worked with a Canadian artist named Stan Douglas. They created a video art piece called Hors-champs. This artwork was shown at a big art event in Germany called documenta 9. In the video, Ewart plays an amazing improvisation of a song called "Spirits Rejoice." He played with other musicians like George Lewis.
Since 1990, Douglas Ewart has lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His father, Tom, was a cricket umpire.
Douglas Ewart's Music
Douglas Ewart has released many albums as a leader and with his group, Inventions. Some of his albums include Red Hills, Bamboo Forest, and Songs Of Sunlife - Inside The Didjeridu. He also has an album with a Nyahbingi Drum Choir called Velvet Drum Meditations.
He has also collaborated on albums with other great musicians. These include Muhal Richard Abrams, Anthony Braxton, Chico Freeman, Dennis González, Yusef Lateef, George Lewis, Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, and Henry Threadgill.
