Kahil El'Zabar

Touring to promote his critically acclaimed Delmark release, Big M, A Tribute to Malachi Favors, with saxophone titan Ari Brown and NYC violinist Billy Bang, master percussionist Kahil El'Zabar comes to the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz on November 27th with three extremely talented friends, violinist Billy Bang, young monster reedist Rene McLean (Jackie's son), and rock-solid bassist Yosef Ben Israel for a night of thrilling and exploratory jazz. This group's music spans a tremendous amount of territory, branching African drumming to Chicago free jazz, creating a deep soul groove hybrid of contemporary ethnic folk and jazz music.

Internationally renowned percussionist and composer Kahil El'Zabar is considered one of the most prolific jazz innovators of his generation. Indeed El'Zabar is a true "Renaissance Man," with a musical style and content that flows from ancient Africa to the modern world. In his own words, "The spirit of one's approach comes first before the technical. All the facility in the world with nothing that comes from the heart doesn't make good music. The basis of the strength of any artistic evolution has come from ethnicity."

Kahil El'Zabar

At the age of eighteen, Kahil joined Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, and by 1975 he was chairman of the organization. During the early 1970s, El'Zabar formed his own musical group, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, and later another group, the Ritual Trio, and continues to perform both today. El'Zabar was chosen to do the arranging for the stage performances of The Lion King,. He has also published a book of poetry, Mis'taken Brilliance, and he tailors clothing both for his band and for others. From 1996 to 1999, El'Zabar organized Traffic at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, an inter-arts program featuring music and poetry. In 1991, El'Zabar was commissioned by Germany's Leverkusen Jazz Festival to present a 20-year retrospective of his work, which showcased Orchestra Infinity - a 25-piece big band formed several years ago.

Kahil El'Zabar has served as an associate professor at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has been on the boards of several organizations, including as the chairman of The Sun Drummer, an African American drum society, the National Campaign for Freedom of Expression, the National Task Force of Arts Presenting in Education, Campaign for Freedom of Expression, Forum for the Evolution of Progressive Arts, Chicago Blues Museum and the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund. He has also served as a panelist for the NEA's Commissioning and Interdisciplinary Programs. His efforts as a musician, educator, and community leader led to the "Chicagoan of the year" in 2004 by the Chicago Tribune and the 2005 Jazz Journalists Association award for "Percussionist of the Year."

Rene McLean

The Kahil El'Zabar Trio with Rene McLean and Yosef Ben Israel and featuring Billy Bang performs November 27th at Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, (831) 427-2227 phone, (831) 427-3342 fax. Doors @ 6:00pm, Show @ 7:00pm $20/Adv $23/Door.