Ethnic Heritage Ensemble

Mon., Feb. 16, 8 p.m., $12, International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 866-468-7619, arsnovaworkshop.com.

by Shaun Brady

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Published: Feb 10, 2009

JAZZ

When Kahil El'Zabar founded the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble 35 years ago, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians was already almost a decade old. The Chicago-based AACM, dedicated to advancing the jazz avant-garde, strongly encouraged complex compositions and the incorporation of traditional African music, both of which are key components in the EHE's conception. El'Zabar's rhythm-driven groups place those two guiding principles on equal footing. The EHE pits two horns against the leader's arsenal of percussion, which he corrals in supple, hypnotic fashion. The trio's lineup has changed a few times over the years; currently El'Zabar is joined by saxophonist Ernest "Khabeer" Dawkins and young trumpet daredevil Corey Wilkes, who was also recruited to fill the late Lester Bowie's spot in the Art Ensemble of Chicago. But even when Wilkes pulls out his two-horns-at-once stunt, it's El'Zabar who commands attention, virtuosic but always majestically musical, the only musician in my awareness who can conjure orchestral grandeur from a simple thumb piano.

Mon., Feb. 16, 8 p.m., $12, International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 866-468-7619, arsnovaworkshop.com.

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