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Kahil El'Zabar & Billy Bang: Spirits Entering
by Derek Taylor
Among the current fertile crop of Chicago improvisors only Ken Vandermark outdistances the recording fecundity of percussionist Kahil El’Zabar. The difference is that for various reasons, most notably the Vandermark’s MacArthur Foundation windfall, more of the reed player’s projects seem to make it into circulation. Still, El’Zabar’s discography continues to swell at a steady rate, thanks mainly to the diligent investment of the Delmark label. This current release offers up two thirds of a former incarnation of The Ritual Trio ...
Continue ReadingKahil El'Zabar and Billy Bang: Spirits Entering
by AAJ Staff
As a ritual experience, music can be amazingly moving. That's a deep concept that American jazz players long ago absorbed from the traditions of West Africa. (Haiti and Cuba lie at the epicenter of this movement within the Western Hemisphere; but that's an entirely different tangent.) Free jazz veterans Kahil El'Zabar and Billy Bang improvise together on the drums and violin, respectively, on Spirits Entering. This recording would poorly be described as a “conversation"... having played together off and on ...
Continue ReadingKahil El'Zabar w/ David Murray: One World Family
by Derek Taylor
Jazz musicians are among the most prolific artists around. It’s not uncommon, particularly in the freer strains of the idiom, for an artist to have a half dozen albums under his or her belt on an annual basis. Sales of course are an entirely different matter and even the busiest artists in the music frequently go relatively unrecognized for their efforts. In terms of sheer fecundity David Murray’s discography has been the yardstick by which other musicians are compared for ...
Continue ReadingKahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio: Africa N'da Blues
by Derek Taylor
On this, their fifth album for Delmark, the Ritual Trio sticks to the formula that has served them well on past outings for the label, that of welcoming a legendary guest star into the fold. This time around Pharoah Sanders occupies the guest chair and his presence affects a wonderful series of alchemical changes both in terms of group dynamics and sound. Sanders obviously arrived at the studio ready to blow and El’Zabar’s arrangements allow him ample to do just ...
Continue ReadingKahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio featuring Pharoah Sanders: Africa N'da Blues
by AAJ Staff
The aptly titled Africa N'da Blues is the Ritual Trio's fourth outing on Delmark. Most of the record explores the uniquely Afro-American space between African percussion and the '60s free jazz revolution. El'Zabar's group appears equally at home playing straight-ahead standards like “Autumn Leaves" or post-Coltrane material like the title track, but it really seems to thrive during moments of exploration and discovery. A spoken word piece with a Latin feel, for example, explores ethnic diversity with a twist. As ...
Continue ReadingKahil El'Zabar's Tri-Factor: The Power
by Derek Taylor
CIMP is a unique label on many fronts. Their recording techniques emphasize the natural space and interplay of musicians without the intrusion of studio wizardry. Their A&R philosophy centers on nurturing not only well known names in improvised music, but also up and coming ones as well. In addition, each of their discs contains honest and informative essays sharing and describing the details of each session even when the events recounted are less than flattering. Many of their recording dates ...
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