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Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble: Open Me, a Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit – review
The Chicago drummer’s collective add strings to their loose, laid-back groove, making for a subtly powerful listen
He has collaborated with the trumpeters Don Cherry and Dizzy Gillespie and provided percussion for stars such as Stevie Wonder, but it is with his Ethnic Heritage Ensemble that El’Zabar has found himself most free. Playing through a mix of standards and originals, the album opens with an ingeniously languorous version of Miles Davis’s All Blues, emphasising the song’s infectious melody through Alex Harding’s yearning baritone solo. El’Zabar’s own compositions, meanwhile, showcase the versatility of his playing style, encompassing the rumbling cajón of violin feature Hang Tuff as well as the shaker-driven groove of Ornette and Kari’s cymbal blasts.
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