Kahil El'Zabar

Kahil El'Zabar is an American percussionist, drummer and composer, born Clifton Blackburn in Chicago in 1953. A member of the AACM from the early 1970s and later its chairman, he is known as the leader of the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, which he formed in the 1970s, and of the Ritual Trio. El'Zabar played early in his career with saxophonist Gene Ammons. He has recorded with Archie Shepp (Conversations, 1999), Pharoah Sanders (Africa N'Da Blues, 2000) and Billy Bang, and above all with tenor saxophonist David Murray, his partner on the duo albums Golden Sea (1989) and One World Family (2000).