In case you missed it, last year we caught up with visionary percussionist Kahil El’Zabar on the heels of his latest effort, Spirit Gatherer: A Tribute to Don Cherry. Over the holiday break we turned our ears back to 2020, as in the midst of that most infamous year, El’Zabar released Spirit Groove, an eight track LP featuring saxophonist/composer David Murray. Self described as music “to move you nakedly with a deep sense of dance on a mind/body/spirit level,” El’Zabar’s sonic aim was to “rekindle the motion of social relevance within the legacy of jazz.” Indeed.
Category: Kahil El’Zabar
Kahil El’Zabar: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
Kahil El’Zabar has worked as a bandleader and collaborated with Pharaoh Sanders, Archie Shepp, and Dizzy Gillespie. With his latest album, Spirit Gatherer: A Tribute to Don Cherry, El’Zabar is once again joined by the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, with vocalist Dwight Trible of the Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, and multi-instrumentalist and son of the album’s namesake, David Ornette Cherry. Celebrating jazz luminary Don Cherry, the album is beautiful in its spatial depth, brevity, and intimacy, three attributes clearly set upon with masterful intention.