AllMovie

Together, five friends and legends of contemporary jazz - alto and tenor saxophonist Ernest Dawkins, trumpeter Maurice Brown, trombonist Steve Berry, bassist Darius Savage, and drummer Isaiah Spencer - formed Ernest Dawkins' New Horizons Ensemble and delivered an unforgettable gig at The Windy City's Velvet Lounge on Bastille Day - July 14, 2005. That rare set appears on home video in this exclusive live performance, which serves as a companion piece to the album of the same name. Subtitled "The Messenger," the performance functions as a unit, and attempts to meld numerous stylistic movements of jazz, from Chicago and beyond - everything from swing to bop to jiveto African rhythms - into an organic musical whole. "The Messenger" packs in nine individual numbers, all but one composed by Dawkins: "Intro," "Mean Ameen," "The Messenger," "Goin' Downtown Blues," "Toucouleur," "The Brood," "The Boute," "Lookin' for Ninny," and "Go Fred."