1. Major to Minor
2. MT
3. Hot 'n' Heavy
4. There is a Place
5. Black as Vera Cruz
Kahil El'Zabar – Earth drums, kalimba, drums,
percussion
Corey Wilkes - Trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion
Ernest "Khabeer" Dawkins - Alto sax, tenor sax,
percussion
Fareed Haque - Electric guitar, acoustic guitar
The
Ethnic Heritage Ensemble is a quartet of versatile
musicians who mix together a variety of musical
styles, including jazz, avant-garde, African
and Latin-American. This DVD shows them in
action at Kahil El'Zabar's Ascension Loft
in Chicago before a small audience. Unfortunately,
the action is sometimes obscured by the film
being overlaid with blurred pastel-coloured
images. It is a relief when these distractions
disappear but annoying whenever they reappear.
In fact they came near to spoiling my enjoyment
of this DVD, as they make parts of the DVD
virtually unwatchable.
Nevertheless
there is some interesting music to be discerned.
The basic style is jazz but this is very loose,
with the trumpet and saxophone often improvising
freely over the base laid down by guitar and
percussion. MT
is a tribute to Malachi Thompson, who died
shortly before this DVD was filmed. It opens
with Kahil playing the kalimba (thumb piano)
behind the horns, which make the tune resemble
a Jazz Messengers piece.
Hot
'n ' Heavy
sounds as if it might have been devised by
Don Cherry or Albert Ayler but in fact (like
all the tracks on the album) it was composed
by Kahil. There
is a Place
is slower and more meditative, with a chorale-like
theme. Black
as Vera Cruz
includes an extended solo from Kahil on earth
drums. None of the five tracks lasts for less
than 12 minutes, which allows the musicians
to stretch out - sometimes self-indulgently
but generally creatively.
I am not usually a fan of
the avant-garde but the music here is sufficiently
coherent to attract people who don't like
anything too far out. The DVD includes an
interview with Kahil which helps to explain
the background to the music.
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
Delmark
DVD 1574
