Kahil El'Zabar's Ethnic Heritage Ensemble at The Rotunda

Kahil El'Zabar led the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble’s first performance at Child City Arts Center in Chicago in 1973, one year after he had returned from his studies at the University of Ghana. His goal was to combine concepts of African American music making with the earlier roots of traditional African music to produce something new. Now featuring Corey Wilkes, member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Ernest Dawkins of the New Horizons Ensemble, the trio's performances are "harmonically provocative and rhythmically seductive" (Chicago Tribune). A member of the AACM, El'Zabar has performed alongside numerous jazz greats and was a member of the bands of Stevie Wonder, Cannonball Adderley, Dizzy Gillespie and Nina Simone...

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Kahil El'Zabar led the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble’s first performance at Child City Arts Center in Chicago in 1973, one year after he had returned from his studies at the University of Ghana. His goal was to combine concepts of African American music making with the earlier roots of traditional African music to produce something new. Now featuring Corey Wilkes, member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Ernest Dawkins of the New Horizons Ensemble, the trio's performances are "harmonically provocative and rhythmically seductive" (Chicago Tribune). A member of the AACM, El'Zabar has performed alongside numerous jazz greats and was a member of the bands of Stevie Wonder, Cannonball Adderley, Dizzy Gillespie and Nina Simone. The group is celebrating it's 40th anniversary and the release of their new album, Black is Back.

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