Ethnic Heritage Ensemble

Photo by Fran Xavier

Following the release of their most recent album ‘Open Me, A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit’ in 2024 via Spiritmuse Records, the legendary Chicago multi-percussionist and composer Sir Kahil El’Zabar, celebrates over 50 years of The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble’s legacy and unwavering contribution to Great Black Music. 

EHE was formed in 1974 shortly after Sir Kahil El’Zabar graduated from Lake Forest College, with the goal “To combine concepts of African American music with its earlier roots in traditional African music, to produce new motifs and sounds true to their origins yet firmly pointed in a new artistic direction ”of enlightenment and deep listening”. Half a century later and the rich, compelling, ever-evolving sound they are known for, is still going strong. Together with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble is one of the two remaining original groups active in the world today that were nurtured in the AACM( Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians). 

“I knew in my heart, that this band Would endure. My concept was based in logic as it pertains to the history of Great Black Music. In other words, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble has a strong rhythmic foundation, innovative harmonics and counterpoint, well-balanced interplay and polyphony among the players for highly developed ensemble dynamics. We are strong individual soloists with an in-depth grasp of music history, originality, fearlessness and deep spirituality.” 

Photo by David Biddlecombe

Building on half a century of this iconic band’s work, for this anniversary project, Sir Kahil El’Zabar intends to keep looking forward in terms of a contemporary approach to authenticity in concept, music, arrangements, and performance. With Corey Wilkes, Alex Harding, and Ishmael Ali being exemplary players and extraordinary improvisers, this is a new era for the EHE, that combines the history of their music to a contemporary approach to arrangements, performance, and ensemble interplay. 

Their latest release, Let the Spirit Out, Live at “mu” London, is a unique vision of capturing spiritual jazz master Kahil El’Zabar and the legendary Ethnic Heritage Ensemble performing new, unrecorded material purposefully in a live audience environment, to capture the essence of the ancient ritual of communion through music. It’s El’Zabar’s powerful message to the world today, a call to transcend boundaries with the uncontainable force of the human spirit, expressed through sound. Let the Spirit Out is is a recorded ritual that sees the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble at their most powerful: raw, expansive, transcendent and deeply attuned to the healing energy of rhythm. 

Corey Wilkes

Trumpeter Corey Wilkes’ impact on the Chicago music scene is near boundless. Having grown up immersed in the sounds of blues, soul, jazz, funk and R&B, he took up the trumpet at the age of 10, and immediately flourished as a performer. His confidence and talent soon took him to Berklee College of Music and the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans, to immerse himself in the city’s rich musical cultures. Upon returning to his native city, Chicago, his profile rose rapidly in jazz society. He became an Artist in Residence for the Jazz Institute of Chicago, and a member of the AACM. For years he’s developed under Kahil El’Zabar’s wing in the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, and has played on stage and recorded with greats such as Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, James Moody, Kurt Elling, Greg Osby, Nicole Mitchell, Marcus Belgrave, Clark Terry, Evan Parker, IG Culture, Tortoise and Bonnie Prince Billy and Makaya McCraven All the while playing with the Art Ensemble of Chicago filling the incredibly large shoes of the late Lester Bowie. 

Corey Wilkes has been with Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble for over 15 years now, and can be heard on the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble’s phenomenal “Be Known: Ancient / Future / Music” LP and ‘Spirit Gatherer, Tribute to Don Cherry’ on Spiritmuse Records and on Junius Paul Quartet’s acclaimed “Ism”. As 

nearly a two-decade member of Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, it was natural that Corey would be tapped to be part of Kahil E’lZabar’s Quartet releasing a seminal album in Feb of 2022 with “A Time for Healing” on Spiritmuse. 

Featured extensively by NPR, Downbeat & Jazz Times, the New York Times described Wilkes’s playing style as “smartly balanced bravado, power, and control” all while being one of the very few trumpeters able to practice circular breathing while playing – an impressive feat! 

Corey Wilkes’ collaborations extend beyond the world of music, as he has also worked with visual artists such as Theaster Gates, Nick Cave, Lucy Slivinski and Rashid Johnson, creating multi-disciplinary performances that blend music, art, and culture. He has also made a name for himself as an actor, appearing in the hit TV show Empire for six seasons, receiving critical acclaim for his performances. 

Wilkes continues to push the boundaries of jazz and expand its reach to new audiences with his EHE performances, while remaining true to his roots and his commitment to excellence in all aspects of his work.

Photo by David Biddlecombe

Ishmael Ali

Ishmael Ali is a dynamic cellist, guitarist, improviser, and composer based out of Chicago. His work centers on exploring sound through improvisation, experimentation, composition, and collaboration, focusing on a wide array of idiomatic approaches in an ever-changing, always-growing list of projects informed by diverse influences. 

Though varying drastically from group to group, a common thread in his work is the juxtaposition of seemingly disparate elements to create something new: both foreign and familiar. 

Ishmael is leader or co-leader of a plethora of working projects including the KAH trio, Hearsay, Je’raf, Akjai, Archipelago, and Oido. He has also performed or recorded with Avreeayl Ra, Josh Berman, Jim Baker, Fred Jackson, Ed Wilkerson, Angel Bat Dawid, Jason Stein, Tom Skinner and many more. 

He’s one of the creative directors at Elastic Arts, Chicago