#Kahil El’Zabar

[topoet]

Soulful Concertina

This is a fun eclectic mp3 collection of instrumentals  & jazz ending with some sort of unusual classical.It starts off with The Cecil Holmes Soulful Sounds: The Black Motion Picture Experience (1973), Music for Soulful Lovers (1973). Before Cecil became a founder of Casablanca Records he worked at a producer, arraigner at another label where he recorded these seminal semi-easy listening, with…

[dustedmagazine]

Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble — Open Me, A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit (Spiritmuse)

Photo by Christopher Andrew

Celebrating 50 years of his Ethnic Heritage Ensemble bandleader, activist, educator and percussionist Kahil El’Zabar delves deeply into the music he has helped shape over his long career. Open Me is neither a valedictory nostalgia trip nor a lap of honor. Spanning spiritual and avant-garde jazz, African rhythms, soul blues and protest music, El’Zabar and his cohorts, trumpeter Corey Wilkes and baritone saxophonist Alex Harding, are joined by guests Ishmael Ali on cello and violinist James Sanders in collection of original tunes and finely wrought covers that look forward while linking the threads of El’Zabar’s musical legacy.

The quintet finds a devotional center to Miles Davis’ “All Blues”. El’Zabar plays on kalimba and bells, his hums and ululations a prayerful focus. The band play at a meditative pace with Wilkes pushing his tone through Davis’ modal calm into higher registers that evoke Don Cherry whilst Harding provides soulful counterpoint and a solo that carries the barest trace of Coltrane. Sanders’ short solo scratches then soars as if freeing itself from earthly concerns. “The Whole World in His Hands” feels reclaimed as El’Zabar lays down a rolling African beat and his vocal emphasizes the gospel blues root of the song. Behind, the horns and strings provide an intense group sound, with a call and response of short solos that mirror both church service and jam session. Their version of Eugene McDaniel’s “Compared To What” finds El’Zabar’s graveled vocal backed by Harding’s nimble baritone riff, a glorious clarion call from Wilkes and atmospheric flourishes from the strings. The spirit is to the fore, but this band also swings hard. “Hang Tuff” and McCoy Tyner’s “Passion Dance” are exuberant celebrations. The former graced by a dervish of a solo from Sanders and the latter played with all the power of a big band, the horns blasting the theme, El’Zabar all over his kit, the solos uniformly fiery.  

From Lester Bowie, Anthony Braxton and Pharoah Sanders to David Murray to Tomeka Reid and Isaiah Collier, El’Zabar’s career spans generations of forward-thinking musicians. The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble is the longest running of his many musical projects and on Open Me, they produce a stirring mix of spirituality, groove and fire music. This is history very much alive and kicking.

Andrew Forell

[thewaysoundtravels]

(In My House • Kahil El’Zabar’s Spirit Groove ft. David Murray *NEW by Spiritmuse Records)

“Kahil El’Zabar’s ‘Spirit Groove’ on Spiritmuse Records is the latest musical inspiration from the spiritual jazz master, ft. the legendary tenor sax colossus, David Murray”.

Full album: https://soundcloud.com/spiritmuserecords/sets/kahil-elzabars-spirit-groove and https://spiritgroove.bandcamp.com/album/kahil-elzabars-spirit-groove-ft-david-murray

[seymourmusicclub]

Kahil El’Zabar - Holy Man

[diz-cover]

Kahil El’Zabar & Ethnic Heritage Ensemble Open Me, a Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit 2024

[burlveneer-music]

A new album from Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble today as well - "Open Me, A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit"

This is the new offering from Kahil El’Zabar and his Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, in conjunction with the legendary group’s 50th anniversary, Open Me, A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit. Open Me is a joyous honoring of portent new directions of the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble; it’s a visionary journey into deep roots and future routes, channeling traditions old and new. It mixes El’Zabar’s original compositions with timeless classics by Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, and Eugene McDaniels. Thus, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble continues affirming their indelible, half-century presence within the continuum of Great Black Music.  Open Me, El’Zabar’s sixth collaboration with Spiritmuse in five years, marks another entry in a run of critically acclaimed recordings that stretch back to the first EHE recording in 1981. The storied multi-percussionist, composer, fashion designer, and former Chair of the Association of Creative Musicians (AACM) is in what might be the most productive form of his career, and now in his seventies, shows no signs of slowing down. Few creative music units can boast such longevity, and fewer still are touring as energetically and recording with the verve of the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble.  The EHE was founded by El’Zabar in 1974 originally as a quintet, but was soon paired down to its classic form — a trio, featuring El’Zabar on multi-percussion and voice, plus two horns. It was an unusual format, even by the standards of the outward-bound musicians of the AACM: “Some people literally laughed at our unorthodox instrumentation and approach. We were considered even stranger than most AACM bands at the time. I knew in my heart though that that this band had legs, and that my concept was based on logic as it pertains to the history of Great Black Music, i.e. a strong rhythmic foundation, innovative harmonics and counterpoint, well-balanced interplay and cacophony amongst the players, strong individual soloist, highly developed and studied ensemble dynamics, an in-depth grasp of music history, originality, fearlessness, and deep spirituality.” With El’Zabar at the helm, the band’s line-up has always been open to changes, and over the years the EHE has welcomed dozens of revered musicians including Light Henry Huff, Kalaparusha Maurice Macintyre, Joseph Bowie, Hamiett Bluiett, and Craig Harris. The current line-up has been consolidated over two decades — trumpeter Corey Wilkes entered the circle twenty years ago, while baritone sax player Alex Harding joined seven years ago, after having played with El’Zabar since the early 2000s in groups such as Joseph Bowie’s Defunkt.  For Open Me, El’Zabar has chosen to push the sound of the EHE in a new direction by adding string instruments — cello, played by Ishmael Ali, and violin/viola played by James Sanders. The addition of strings opens new textural resonances and timbral dimensions in the Ensemble’s sound, linking the work to the tradition of improvising violin and cello from Ray Nance to Billy Bang, Leroy Jenkins, and Abdul Wadud.  Open Me contains a mixture of originals, including some El’Zabar evergreens such as “Barundi,” “Hang Tuff,” “Ornette,” and “Great Black Music” (often attributed to the Art Ensemble of Chicago but is, in fact,  an El’Zabar composition). There are also numbers drawn from the modern tradition, which El’Zabar uniquely arranges, including a contemplative interpretation of Miles Davis’ “All Blues.” As a milestone anniversary celebration and a statement of future intent, Open Me effortlessly carries El’Zabar’s healing vision of Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit.   All compositions by Kahil El’Zabar except tracks ‘All Blues’ by Miles Davis, ‘He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands’ spiritual folk by Unknown, ‘Passion Dance’ by McCoy Tyner and ‘Compared to What’ by Gene McDaniels All arrangements by Kahil El’Zabar Tapestry and Art Direction by Nep Sidhu

[chansonsinternationales]

Kahil El’Zabar, hommage déraison – Libération

[twistedsoulmusic]

Prominent avant-garde jazz multi-instrumentalist and composer Kahil El’Zabar, with his The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, recently unveiled ‘Open Me, A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit’ to commemorate the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble’s 50th anniversary. Needless to say, this is more than just an album; it is a proclamation of the group’s enduring legacy and joyous venture into new artistic territory.

[epistrophyarts]

[chez-mimich]

KAHIL EL’ZABAR, “SPIRIT GROOVE”

Diciamo la verità: "groove" e spiritualità sono come mele e pere, che come diceva la mia maestra delle elementari, non si possono sommare. E allora l'impresa di Kahil El’Zabar, grandissimo percussionista e uno dei più celebrati sassofonisti al mondo e David Murray, appare ancor più meritoria. Completa la formazione del favoloso "Spirit Groove", Emma Dayhuff al basso acustico e Justin Dillard a synth, piano e organo. Che l'esperimento non solo sia riuscito, ma sia entusiasmante, lo si capisce subito dopo le prime, quasi sommesse, percussioni di "In my House" che apre l'album: quasi un carillon, accompagnato da un tamburello, e dallo stentato mugulare di Kahil, una specie di preghiera laica e "distonica", a cavallo tra uno spiritual e un blues, con il sax di Murray che sembra bastare a se stesso. Più si procede nell'ascolto e più il progetto si fa convincente, come in "Necktar" con la voce di Kahil in grande evidenza, passando per il brano "Songs of May self" completamente strumentale, ricchissimo di interazioni tra i musicisti, poi "Katon" con il suo incipit, quasi afro-etnico, che si trasforma, mano a mano, con il sussurro poderoso e disarmonico del sax di Murray e per finire, come è cominciato, con le percussioni dolci ed evocative di El'Zabar. Ed è ancora la sua voce ispirata, calda e spirituale a condurre la magnifica "In the Spirit", cuore dell'album. Completano il lavoro "Trane in the Mind", il brano jazzisticamente più tradizionale, se così si può dire, e "One Word Family", sul quale vale spendere qualche parola in più, visto che potrebbe essere la dichiarazione d'intenti di "Spirit Groove". El’Zabar e David Murray (e conseguentemente Emma Dayhuff e Justin Dillard), sono convinti che il jazz svolga e debba continuare a svolgere una funzione sociale. Non si tratta di un messaggio nuovo, ma è certamente un messaggio che va ribadito in tempi di spietato cinismo, di dilagante razzismo, di preoccupante indifferenza e non credo ci fosse maniera migliore di farlo; "One Word Family" porta con sé un un concetto apparentemente semplice, ampiamente intuibile già dal titolo, ma lo fa con la voce innervata di anima di Kahil El'Zabar, che punteggia il brano di sottolineature e rafforzature vocali e spirituali che vanno persino oltre al grande messaggio di fratellanza universale. Un disco così pregno di senso, di ricerca musicale e di novità sonora, non poteva avere confezione migliore della copertina di Siobhan Bradshaw, fotografa e artista canadese trapiantata a Londra, la cui attività creativa è sempre stata influenzata da jazz. Un disco da ascoltare, sul quale meditare e, e da tenere a portata di mano.

[zaphmann]

In Memory of John Peel Show 201218 Podcast & Playlist

In Memory of John Peel Show 201218 Podcast & Playlist

lloyd Thayer The final show of the year (except for the Festive Fifty One) is full of epic tracks, but also those odd twisted ones… >>> the best new music, independent of the industry system – back this show on patreon Paypal to zaph@zaphmann.com heard in over 90 countries via independent stations  https://radiopublic.com/in-memory-of-john-peel-show-6nVPd6/ (RSS)Pod-Subscribe for free here or…

[gustojazz-blog]

Kahil El’Zabar’s Ritual Trio - Where do you want to go. From  Alika Rising!, 1990.

Bass – Malachi Favors

Drums – Kahil El'Zabar

Saxophone – Ari Brown

[dreimalfuermich]

Dienstag, 1.11.2022

KAHIL EL’ZABAR-COREY WILKES-JUSTIN DILLART-ALEX HARDING  

Samstagabend das Konzert von Kahil El’Zabar. America The Beautiful und anderes. Das Wort nach diesen anderthalb Stunden wäre: Unwiderstehlich, also: kann man sich nicht gegen wehren, falls man das denn wollte, sich wehren. The purest stuff. Ich war richtiggehend e n t s e t z t. Hin und wieder wird einem klar, wird einem vorgeführt, dass es einen Unterschied gibt zwischen Performance und Kunstäusserung. Dieser Unterschied ist niemals im Material begründet, niemals in den Werkzeugen, Instrumenten, Aufbauten etc., sondern, wie jetzt bei Kahil und den drei anderen Männern aus Chicago: es werden nicht Stücke aufgeführt, sondern sie ENTSTEHEN geradezu nochmal neu vor einem, für die Musiker selbst, und für uns. Und sei das selbst auch nur ein Trick, dann ist es dieser Trick eben. Der Keyboarder, ein thick boy, mit ultrafreundlichem, sanftem Gesicht, lugte immer  fast verschlagen von seinem Hammond Synthesizer auf, den er einfach direkt auf seinem Schoß liegend spielte, bediente, teilweise drei Stimmen gleichzeitig, denn vom Keyboard her kamen an diesem Abend Bass, Gitarre und andere Sounds. Auch noch nicht gesehen sowas. Das ganze Konzert über, und das ist schon, nach meiner Beobachtung, etwas spezifisch black american-mässiges: der Eindruck einer ständigen Kommunikation der Männer untereinander, Zurufe, Lachen, Nicken, Kopfschütteln, eine Form der Tiefenkonzentration, die weniger auf den Ausdruck von Versenkung geprägt ist, sondern eben: nach aussen hin geht. Bei jedem Stück veränderte sich der Gesamtsound der Band auf eine wirklich verblüffende Art, denn es wurden ja keine Intsrumente gewechselt. War das erste Stück noch sehr fleischig und soulful, und von der Konsistenz her eher sirupartig, verschob sich fürs zweite auf einmal komplett der Frequenzraum, auf einmal wurde es perlend und klirrend, die Trompete und das Bariton-Saxofon gingen in die Mitten, und von den Triolen auf dem Ride-Becken kam die Perlenschnur, an der sich das alles langzog, das war dann richtig amtlich Hard Bop Sound, aber mit Bass und Gitarre vom Synthesizer. Das dritte Stück kam leise, fern, wie von hinter den Dünen vom Meer herübergespült, die Message war LOVE, ich kam nicht klar, und damit kam ich gut klar, so schön wars. Bier war auch gut, Zigarettchen eh.

[sindirimba]

🎢💋🎶

🎢 Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

oooh, okay. i have two for this one too because i am truly a rebel.

French Knot - there’s two bookers now because of (indistinct immortality science noises) and so obviously like the first chance nile gets, she has a threesome with both of them. obviously.

&

Quit your job and become a monsterfucker - the Venom AU fic dirah and i WILL finish one day we SWEAR, it’s just, look. writing is complicated. but, in the meantime there’s just a lot of everything going on in this one. so much everything all the time. the title explains it all really.

💋 First kiss fics. Love em or hate em?

love! i love a good first kiss scene, i love reading them and i love writing them. i love that ‘wow this is new wow’ feeling and how to get that across in a way that fits the story and i love when they���re the climax of the story and i love when they’re just another part of it. love a good kiss. really.

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

sometimes! it depends on my mood, sometimes music is too distracting and i can’t focus on making words. some stuff i’ve listened to lately + generally representative of the kind of music i can have on in the background when writing:

A Time For Healing - Kahil El’Zabar Quartet

Guide Us Jah 12″ - Dennis Bovell

La corazonada - Augusto Bracho

thank you <3

(ask game)

[djlook]

Off the Air 2/16/21 Playlist

Post-Valentine’s Day blues got you down?  

Kelly Finnigan - Since I Don’t Have You Anymore

The Ghetto Brothers - I Saw A Tear

Darondo - Didn’t I

Caetano Veloso & Gal Costa - Coração Vagabundo

Astrud Gilberto - All That’s Left Is To Say Goodbye

Norma Fraser - The First Cut is the Deepest

Bob and Gene - I Can’t Stand These Lonely Nights

Derrick Harriot - Another Lonely Night

Barbara Acklin - Please Sunrise Please

Bettye Crutcher - Love Is A Hurtin’ Thing

Kahil El’Zabar - How Can We Mend a Broken Heart

Bermuda Triangle - Suzanne

The Internet - Missing You

Quantic & Denitia - You Used To Love Me (A COLORS SHOW)

Lykke Li - Let It Fall

Saint Etienne - Only Love Can Break Heart

Beth Orton - Stars All Seem To Weep

Tennis - Superstar

Nick Hakim - Cold

Whitney - Giving Up

Angel Olsen - High & Wild

Best Coast - Our Deal

Mathilda Homer - Breakup Breakfast

Salami Rose Joe Louis - I miss You So

Yo La Tengo - I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry

Wilco - I am trying to break your heart