Ethnic Heritage Ensemble at Carnegie Mellon
| February 15, 2009 | ||
| 8:00 pm |
Carnegie Mellon University’s Alumni Recital Hall
with openers Michael Boyd (electronics) and Ryan Socrates (percussion).
$15 advance, $20 door. $10 with university student photo ID.
Call 412-361-2262 for information.
The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble is a legendary Chicago free-jazz outfit that has been together for 35 years, making it one of the longest continuously running groups in jazz. The EHE was formed shortly after percussionist Kahil El-Zabar graduated from the school of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) in 1976 – the same AACM which had earlier spawned the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Anthony Braxton. El-Zabar teamed up with tenor saxophonist Edward Wilkerson, Jr. to play music that combined contemporary African American musical styles, like jazz, with more traditional African instrumentation and rhythms. The duo would frequently swell to a trio in those early years, adding musicians like saxophonist Light Henry Huff and Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre. In 1988, they added trombonist and conga player Joseph Bowie, the leader of the jazz-funk group Defunkt. In 1997, Wilkerson was replaced by saxophonist Ernest “Khabeer” Dawkins who is the leader of New Horizons Ensemble, and the current ensemble was completed by the inclusion of trumpeter Corey Wilkes.
Kahil El-Zabar is also well known for his group The Ritual, which has recently included such legendary members as violinist Billy Bang and saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders. A review of the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble’s concert DVD “Hot ‘n Heavy – Live at the Ascension Loft” can be found on the All About Jazz site at this link:
February 12, 2009 - 10:03 PM