For a long time, American percussionist and composer Kahil El'Zabar was a somewhat misunderstood jazz artist. The documentary film
Be Known (2015) changed all that. In it, El'Zabar is followed during a tour of Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, the group with which he has been active since the mid-1970s. He is the last original member of this Chicago-based company that also included
Edward Wilkerson and
… Joseph Bowie (Defunkt), among others. Open Me, A Higher Consciousness Of Sound And Spirit again has a ritualistic and spiritual atmosphere with El'Zabar's percussive African rhythms as its foundation. It gives the other members plenty of room to solo raucously and slowly, along with their leader, to ascend. Of special note is the addition of violinist James Sanders and cellist Alex Harding who bring their own warm and mystical color to the archaic grooving music. (MR)more
