Kahil El'Zabar's Ethnic Heritage Ensemble Open Me, A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit Deluxe Edition 180g 2LP

Tracking Angle Rated 9/10 Music, 11/10 Sound!

Celebrating 50 years of Kahil El'Zabar's Ethnic Heritage Ensemble's legacy and unwavering contribution to Great Black Music. 'Open Me, A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit' is a new Ethnic Heritage Ensemble sound, constantly shifting gears and tempos in a jazz-blues continuum, in perpetual spontaneity, combining their meaningful music history with an innovative approach to arrangements, performance and improvisation. This is Ancient / Future Music for the Now and Beyond.

Open Me is a joyous honoring of portent new directions of the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble; it's a visionary journey into deep roots and future routes, channeling traditions old and new. It mixes El'Zabar's original compositions with timeless classics by Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, and Eugene McDaniels. Thus, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble continues affirming their indelible, half-century presence within the continuum of Great Black Music.

For Open Me, El'Zabar has chosen to push the sound of the EHE in a new direction by adding string instruments - the addition of strings opens new textural resonances and timbral dimensions in the Ensemble's sound, linking the work to the tradition of improvising violin and cello from Ray Nance to Billy Bang, Leroy Jenkins, and Abdul Wadud.

Open Me contains a mixture of originals, including some El'Zabar evergreens such as "Barundi," "Hang Tuff," "Ornette," and "Great Black Music" (often attributed to the Art Ensemble of Chicago but is, in fact, an El'Zabar composition).

As a milestone anniversary celebration and a statement of future intent, Open Me effortlessly carries El'Zabar's healing vision of Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit.

The sound quality is amazing. The horns, strings, and percussion are eye-blinkingly vivid, spread out across a wide and deep soundstage, tones, overtones, smacks, rumbles, and coaxings clear and vibrant... If El'Zabar ever plays live in your town, go see him.

With Open Me, El'Zabar and company celebrate 50 years: Their contribution holds firmly to the evolving jazz tradition, yet embraces the musical and cultural lineages of its historical Pan-African roots. They indelibly document the present and gaze squarely toward the future.