kahil elzabar & isaiah collier

ABOUT:

Performing and recording at the vanguard of the global jazz and creative music scene for the past five decades, Sir Kahil El’Zabar is a multi-percussionist, bandleader, composer, conductor, vocalist, arts curator, and educator whose impact on music and culture is beyond significant. His pioneering sound and improvisational practice—often described as “spiritual groove”—has inspired generations of musicians and artists across disciplines.

In the late 1960s, El’Zabar studied at the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians), mentored by founders Phil Cohran and Muhal Richard Abrams, alongside artists including Lester Bowie, Malachi Favors, Anthony Braxton, and Henry Threadgill. He studied West African music and culture at the University of Ghana, graduated from Lake Forest College in 1973, founded the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble in 1974, and served as chairman of the AACM beginning in 1975.

El’Zabar also founded The Ritual Trio and has remained deeply committed to nurturing younger generations of musicians while pioneering fusions of avant-garde jazz, groove, and global rhythms. His recent Spiritmuse Records releases—including Spirit Groove, America the Beautiful, the Grammy-nominated A Time For Healing, and Spirit Gatherer: Tribute to Don Cherry—have reaffirmed his global stature in spiritual jazz.

Knighted by the Council General of France for his contributions to the arts, El’Zabar has performed with luminaries including Dizzy Gillespie, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, and Pharoah Sanders. With over 70 recorded projects, he is widely acknowledged as one of the last living leaders at the vanguard of spiritual jazz and groove.