Search - Ethnic Heritage Ensemble :: Hot N Heavy: Live at the Ascension Loft

And the beats go on. In this case, make that several beats. Most of them emanate from whatever Kahil El'Zabar happens to be striking at that moment: his earth drums (the congas he constructed himself), which he plays with ancestral wisdom; the mighty mite kalimba (African thumb piano), from which he draws shockingly luminescent rhythms; or the trap set that releases the many colors he can only suggest on his other instruments. But there are other beats as well, such as the steady pulse that El'Zabar has imparted to the music community in Chicago and throughout the populated continents for the last 30 years; and the inexorable march of his two signature bands, the Ritual Trio and the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, both continually evolving but, paradoxically, unchanging. The charismatic trumpeter Corey Wilkes is a new addition: still in his 20s, he now tours with the fabled Art Ensemble of Chicago in addition to leading his own bands. This performance - recorded at El'Zabar's loft performance space near Chicago's Loop - lives up to the Ethnics' proud history. Complete notes by Neil Tesser enclosed.