A Conversation with Sir Kahil El’Zabar, the Timeless Maestro

At 70, Grammy-nominated Sir Kahil El’Zabar continues to push the boundaries of jazz. As the visionary leader of the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, he has captivated audiences worldwide for decades.

This year marked the 50th anniversary of Kahil’s group the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble. With no signs of slowing down, Sir Kahil has released his 18th album and also embarked on a historic world tour that just concluded in his hometown of Chicago.

To celebrate this milestone, we revisit our conversation with the legendary percussionist and multi-instrumentalist in which we had the honor of visiting his personal performance building/studio, “The Colabyrinth,” the labyrinth for collaboration on the west side of Chicago.

In this latest episode of our “In Convo” series, Kahil talks to Globetrotter’s Kennedy Ashinze about witnessing music history, the state of cultural affairs and coalescing a creative culture network, inspiring and still hitting with the next generation of musicians, and more.

Join us as we explore the enduring legacy of this living icon.

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