Label: Spiritmuse Records, 2020
Personnel - Khalil El Zabar: percussion, voice; David Murray: tenor saxophone; Emma Dayhuff: acoustic bass; Justin Dillard: synth, piano, organ.
Master percussionist Kahil El’Zabar keeps searching the spiritual in music, this time through a satisfying collection of groove-centric pieces delivered in the company of longtime collaborator and powerhouse reedman David Murray. The rhythm section is rounded out by keyboardist Justin Dillard and bassist Emma Dayhuff.
Carrying a strong R&B feel, El’Zabar’s “In My House” appears on the album in two long versions that succeed each other. The opening piece is a 10-minute radio edit inflamed by Murray’s incendiary forays while the full version, clocking in at 20-and-a-half minutes, is extended by bass and piano solos, vocal experiments, and extra sax snoops.
Propelled by El’Zabar's cajón, Murray’s “Necktar” is equipped with a spry hip-hop undertow that is counterbalanced by the chilled-out soul/funk on the surface. The rap-influenced phrasing employed here by the saxophonist is transferred with wide tonal range and intervallic wit to the last part of the motivic “Song of Myself”, a groovy, trance-like acid jazz piece armed with looping bass lines and psychedelic organ and vibes.
The gentle and exotic kalimba patterns on “Katon” impel us to dance with freedom and abandonment. You’ll be able to pinpoint an unhurried bass pedal, musing pianism, and fervent saxophone prayers that make us fly above the groove.
Seminal influences of spiritual saxophone giants like Pharaoh Sanders and John Coltrane are noticeable on “In The Spirit” and “Trane in Mind”, respectively. The latter piece, with Murray completely immersed in the Coltrane language, deviates from the soul-inflected contemplation to set foot in a modal post-bop with a modicum of gospel.
Even infused with a salutary eclecticism and spirituality, this recording is burdened with immutable rhythmic currents that occasionally become protracted. However, it's all done with passion and warmth.
Grade B
Favorite Tracks:
04 - Song of Myself ► 05 - Katon ► 07 - Trane in Mind