Ethnic Heritage Ensemble – Hot ‘N’ Heavy

Delmark 574

Rhythm is the baseline for every Kahil El'Zabar project and the relationship is particularly pronounced in the case of the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble. Thirty years on and a half-century and change to his name, El'Zabar is still the guiding constant for the band, but the rest of the cast has changed several times over. For this concert document recorded at his Chicago loft space, the percussionist once again initiates a round of musical chairs settling upon the relatively recent assemblage of guitarist Fareed Haque, Corey Wilkes on brass and Ernest Dawkins on saxophones, the latter two doubling on percussion.

Wilkes brings a bit of the Art Ensemble with him, blowing both trumpet and flugelhorn simultaneously on the frenzied title piece and lacing his lines with dramatic activity. Elsewhere, on the sprawling minor-key safari "There is a Place" it's Miles as placeholder, Wilkes piquant brass lines shadowed by sinuous electronics while squeeze toys mimicking the cries of jungle birds. Haque is a refreshing secondary catalyst, his Django-rooted playing filling out the group in place of a bassist and his single note solos slipping easily into the frontline with the horns. Five lengthy pieces follow the usual course of featuring the three major constiuents of El'Zabar's percussive battery. "Major to Minor" telegraphs its path on a propulsive melodic vamp for tenor and electric trumpet, the leader's supple hand drums sustaining a swiftly percolating beat while Haque comps a spiky groove dappled with Grant Green-style repetition. "MT" turns attention to the leader's kalimba in service to a delicate ballad dedicated to departed trumpeter Malachi Thompson. Haque's bluesy strums weave with the leader's luminous melodic droplets and the horns once again converge on a gorgeous unifying motif that spreads out into earthy solos, among them corkers from Wilkes and the guitarist, their best statements of the date. El'Zabar's passionate grunting is audible underneath, another outlet for the collective emotion contained within the tune.

The set's title track centers on El'Zabar's weakest vehicle, a standard drum kit, and takes some time in coalescing thanks to the leader's somewhat thrashy beats. Dawkins and Wilkes weather the rickety bombast as best they can and the audience responds enthusiastically to the energy emanating from the stage. The return to pulsating hand drums on the closing conguero special "Black as Vera Cruz" recoups lost ground and features Dawkins sole tenor showing of the date. Those familiar with past slices of the EHE's long history probably won't uncover any revelations on this latest live entry. Regardless, as a well-crafted program of passionately played Chicago jazz, firmly rooted in city's AACM traditions, it more than passes muster.

~ Derek Taylor