Legendary drummer and percussionist Sir Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble is releasing a new album called ‘Be Known: Ancient/Future/Music’, this May via Spiritmuse Records.
Together with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble are one of the two remaining original groups in the world today that were nurtured in the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). “I knew in my heart, that this band could endure,” El’Zabar attests. “My concept was based in logic as it pertains to the history of Great Black Music. In other words, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble has a strong rhythmic foundation, innovative harmonics and counterpoint, well-balanced interplay and polyphony among the players for highly developed ensemble dynamics. We are strong individual soloists with an in-depth grasp of music history, originality, fearlessness and deep spirituality.”
With a history in music strecthing well over 40 years Kahil El’Zabar is an artist in a league of his own, with a significant contribution in the continuation of the spiritual and afro-futuristic jazz.
Ethnic Heritage Ensemble’s members includes Kahil El’Zabar on percussions, voice and composition alongside the super-talented Corey Wilkes on trumpet, the deep, extraordinary Alex Harding on baritone sax as well as the fierce Ian Maksin on cello.
Ahead of the LP’s release, EHE has shared ‘Pharoah’ the first teaser – a driving composition that gains complexity through repetition and improvisation.
Tracklisting:
1. N2 Deep (for Randy Weston, Jerry Gonzalez, Cecil Taylor)
2. Freedom Jazz Dance
3. Little Sunflower (for Roy Hargrove)
4. Be Known
5. Black is Back
6. Blew It (for Hamiet Bluiett)
7. Wish I Knew (from the film ‘Be Known’)
8. Pharoah
9. Lost in myself (Live at the Loving Cup)
10. Ntozake (for Ntozake Shange)
11. Little Sunflower / Percussion (for Freddie Hubbard)
12. Oof (Live at the Loving Cup)
