Open Me, A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit by Ethnic Heritage Ensemble

For the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble jazz band leader Kahil El'Zabar, music and spirituality flow freely from the same source. This source is infinite–not a commodity that can be depleted, instead only growing more abundant each time it is tapped into, as evidenced on the 18th release from the group, Open Me, A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit. As a working musician with 50 years of experience, the septuagenarian El’Zabar does not just channel the cultural current of African and African-American music, but performs with a reverent awareness of his own legacy within the scene, joyfully participating in the creation of another historic work. Fusing cool jazz, tribal music, funk, psychedelia, and blues, this record lands a sound somewhere between Sun Ra, Muddy Waters, and Mariam Makeba, with a dose of Parliament-Funkadelic for good measure. Smooth and meditative, the album features swinging brass and syncopated bass solos that are totally captivating, repeating ideas with embellishments that transform over the course of each track. Musical and lyrical references to classic folk and blues develop into a soundscape of avant-garde ambient jazz before charging into another energetic motif. El’Zabar himself says it best in the album’s liner notes: “my concept was based on logic as it pertains to the history of Great Black Music, i.e. a strong rhythmic foundation, innovative harmonics and counterpoint, well-balanced interplay and cacophony amongst the players, strong individual soloist, highly developed and studied ensemble dynamics, an in-depth grasp of music history, originality, fearlessness, and deep spirituality.”