Ethnic Heritage Ensemble at the Bop Shop February 13, 2023Already one week since the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble was here, a yearly affair for the last twenty or so. This performance was their sweetest yet. They had just played in New York and were and in the middle of a month long tour. Their last record was nominated for a Grammy so they are on a roll. They played the London Jazz Festival with Don Cherry’s siblings and their upcoming record will be dedicated to Cherry. It also includes a reinterpretation of my favorite Pharaoh Sanders song.

At the Bop Shop they opened with Kahill’s “healing song”A Time For Healing” and then Ornette Coleman’s “Lonely Woman,” Duke Ellington’s “Caravan,” Coltrane’s “Resolution” and “Great Black Music” which Kahill wrote for the Art Ensemble. This trio is amazing. I love how they cover so much musical terrain with a skeletal crew. Their room in their sound for you to savor how masterful each of these players are. Kahill’s kick drum, with a full front head tuned low and loose, sounded so good in there. And it is a joy to see how much fun they have with it all.