Kahil El’Zabar’s America the Beautiful
by Kahil El'Zabar
Charlie Moonbeam
Charlie Moonbeam
Kahil El'Zabar does not miss.
walruskittenheart
walruskittenheart
This album is fucking magnificent.
ian smith
monks
Karl Richardson
simon coles
luke warren
nevvyn
djrawbird
birdreynolds
Danielle Milbank
lokalradio
Heinz
samir_69_samir
darkpoetbythesea
Anand
Osunlade
ourania giannakou
Didier
kdogsy
olafurtr90
quetschetrompette
Eduardo Montagut
Jordan Yamashita
PeteWell
abekallis
type72
Andy Tyson
Leonardo Sullivan
SB
marriottlane
bibliomix
Kate Brown
John Cratchley
Beverly Geesin
kurotaito
dhowt
DD
Alice Louise Lacey
Miracolo Parmesani
Stan Clark
sanddog
grocek
JML
Michael Jerkovic
Florian Fritsch
Larry Looney
J. Di Fraya
Nick Moys
sea-creature
gundry
milesp04
Ain Bailey
Chris Kissel
Jan Lajka
Honcho Biggz
shrimpcracker137
bawldnuss
MORITAKENSUKE
kreasibaru
imlit
Boxxil
|
HOW CAN WE MEND A BROKEN HEART
00:00
/
04:09
|
|||
-
Streaming + DownloadIncludes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Purchasable with gift cardDownload available in 24-bit/44.1kHz.
£8 GBP
-
Record/Vinyl + Digital AlbumIncredible new album by the legendary multi-percussionist, addressing the state of America today while calling for a better tomorrow. El’Zabar is arranging and conducting a string quartet alongside an ensemble of talented, versatile musicians (Corey Wilkes, Tomeka Reid & Harriet Bluiett), with an inspired message of urgency and hope through powerful, spiritual music.
2024 Limited Edition
180g. audiophile vinyl on deluxe hypermatte jacket with blue polylined sleeve.
Mind-blowing original artwork and Art Direction by Nep Sidhu.
Includes unlimited streaming of Kahil El’Zabar’s America the Beautiful via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Download available in 24-bit/44.1kHz.ships out within 3 days4 remainingPurchasable with gift card£33.33 GBP or more
-
-
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital AlbumIncredible new album by the legendary multi-percussionist, addressing the state of America today while calling for a better tomorrow. El’Zabar is arranging and conducting a string quartet alongside an ensemble of talented, versatile musicians (Corey Wilkes, Tomeka Reid & Harriet Bluiett), with an inspired message of urgency and hope through powerful, spiritual music.
Deluxe, glossy 4-panel digipack
Album cover original artwork and Art Direction by Nep Sidhu.
Includes unlimited streaming of Kahil El’Zabar’s America the Beautiful via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Download available in 24-bit/44.1kHz.ships out within 1 dayPurchasable with gift card£12.50 GBP
-
-
180g. audiophile vinyl w/ original artwork
Record/Vinyl + Digital AlbumIncredible new album by the legendary multi-percussionist, addressing the state of America today while calling for a better tomorrow. El’Zabar is arranging and conducting a string quartet alongside an ensemble of talented, versatile musicians (Corey Wilkes, Tomeka Reid & Harriet Bluiett), with an inspired message of urgency and hope through powerful, spiritual music.
Limited Edition
180g. audiophile vinyl (pressed in Pallas, Germany) on deluxe hypermatte jacket with blue polylined sleeve.
Mind-blowing original artwork and Art Direction by Nep Sidhu.
Includes unlimited streaming of Kahil El’Zabar’s America the Beautiful via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Download available in 24-bit/44.1kHz.Sold Out
-
1. |
||||
2. |
||||
3. |
EXPRESS YOURSELF
03:57
|
|||
4. |
||||
5. |
||||
6. |
||||
7. |
||||
8. |
||||
9. |
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL
02:05
|
about
Spiritmuse Records proudly presents ‘Kahil El’Zabar’s America the Beautiful’, a tour de force musical testament that speaks directly to the heart, mind and spirit. Kahil El’Zabar composed, arranged and conducted ‘America the Beautiful’ to speak musically about the turbulent issues in America (and the world) today, as well as his hopes and love for a better tomorrow.
This incredible album features Kahil El’Zabar with an extended ensemble of woodwinds, brass, strings and an array of Afro-percussion, showcasing extraordinary players such as Corey Wilkes, Tomeka Reid, James Sanders, Josh Ramos, Miguel de la Cerna, Ernie Adams and Hamiet Bluiett (to whom this album is dedicated, as this was his last recording).
El’Zabar developed the initial inspiration for this project from his musical origins in the above mentioned documentary, and later added new works that would explore issues related to current affairs and past histories of America and the globe, regarding race, ecology, economic disparity, and his hopes, aspirations and love for a better world yet to come.
The album’s theme is a unique reworking of the anthem ‘America the Beautiful’ into a multi-layered cacophony of altered harmonies and contrapuntal rhythms that speak to the bittersweet ironies of American society. Familiar classics such as ‘Express Yourself’, ‘How Can We Mend a Broken Heart’ and a killer, Afrocentric version of ‘Afro Blue’, have all been re-written with El’Zabar’s original arrangements and conducted by him in way that engages the listener in an audible landscape of thoughts and emotion that transverse the greater meaning of living in these times. El’Zabar’s powerful new compositions such as “Freedom March”, ‘Jump and Shout (For Those Now Gone’) and “That We Ask Of Our Creator”, further explore the adventure of melody to dissonance within the romance and passion of creative improvised music.
The album speaks to the times that we are living in today, in the wake of a worldwide pandemic, despotic leadership, mass social discontent, disproportionate poverty, Black Lives Matter and other disenfranchised peoples’ movements and the ecological and economic disparity of our planet. It is time to express ourselves with compassionate art that will hopefully propel better and clearer thoughts about where we are now and where we are going in the future.
Kahil El’Zabar’s ‘America the Beautiful’ is an inspirational message channelled through powerful, spiritual music, that speaks with love, urgency and hope to our current times!
This incredible album features Kahil El’Zabar with an extended ensemble of woodwinds, brass, strings and an array of Afro-percussion, showcasing extraordinary players such as Corey Wilkes, Tomeka Reid, James Sanders, Josh Ramos, Miguel de la Cerna, Ernie Adams and Hamiet Bluiett (to whom this album is dedicated, as this was his last recording).
El’Zabar developed the initial inspiration for this project from his musical origins in the above mentioned documentary, and later added new works that would explore issues related to current affairs and past histories of America and the globe, regarding race, ecology, economic disparity, and his hopes, aspirations and love for a better world yet to come.
The album’s theme is a unique reworking of the anthem ‘America the Beautiful’ into a multi-layered cacophony of altered harmonies and contrapuntal rhythms that speak to the bittersweet ironies of American society. Familiar classics such as ‘Express Yourself’, ‘How Can We Mend a Broken Heart’ and a killer, Afrocentric version of ‘Afro Blue’, have all been re-written with El’Zabar’s original arrangements and conducted by him in way that engages the listener in an audible landscape of thoughts and emotion that transverse the greater meaning of living in these times. El’Zabar’s powerful new compositions such as “Freedom March”, ‘Jump and Shout (For Those Now Gone’) and “That We Ask Of Our Creator”, further explore the adventure of melody to dissonance within the romance and passion of creative improvised music.
The album speaks to the times that we are living in today, in the wake of a worldwide pandemic, despotic leadership, mass social discontent, disproportionate poverty, Black Lives Matter and other disenfranchised peoples’ movements and the ecological and economic disparity of our planet. It is time to express ourselves with compassionate art that will hopefully propel better and clearer thoughts about where we are now and where we are going in the future.
Kahil El’Zabar’s ‘America the Beautiful’ is an inspirational message channelled through powerful, spiritual music, that speaks with love, urgency and hope to our current times!
credits
released October 23, 2020
Kahil El’Zabar - Producer, Composer, Arranger, Conductor
Nep Sidhu – Art and Art Direction
Spiritmuse Records - Executive Producers
Mastered by Frank Merritt, Carvery Studio, London
In honor of Hamiet Bluiett, this was his last recording
M U S I C I A N S
Kahil El’Zabar - composition /arrangements
/conduction /multi-percussion /flute
Corey Wilkes – trumpet (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9)
Hamiet Bluiett - baritone sax (1,3,4,6,9)
Tomeka Reid – cello (1,3,4,6,9)
Dennis Winslett – alto sax (1,3,4,6,9)
Samuel Williams – violin (1,3,4,6,9)
James Sanders String Quartet (2,5,7,8)
Joshua Ramos - acoustic bass (2,5,7,8)
Miguel de la Cerna – keyboard (2,5,7,8)
Babu Atiba - African percussion (2,8)
Ernie Adams – percussion (2,8)
Robert Irving III - piano (9)
© 2020 Spiritmuse Records Limited
MUSIC FOR THE SPIRIT
Kahil El’Zabar - Producer, Composer, Arranger, Conductor
Nep Sidhu – Art and Art Direction
Spiritmuse Records - Executive Producers
Mastered by Frank Merritt, Carvery Studio, London
In honor of Hamiet Bluiett, this was his last recording
M U S I C I A N S
Kahil El’Zabar - composition /arrangements
/conduction /multi-percussion /flute
Corey Wilkes – trumpet (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9)
Hamiet Bluiett - baritone sax (1,3,4,6,9)
Tomeka Reid – cello (1,3,4,6,9)
Dennis Winslett – alto sax (1,3,4,6,9)
Samuel Williams – violin (1,3,4,6,9)
James Sanders String Quartet (2,5,7,8)
Joshua Ramos - acoustic bass (2,5,7,8)
Miguel de la Cerna – keyboard (2,5,7,8)
Babu Atiba - African percussion (2,8)
Ernie Adams – percussion (2,8)
Robert Irving III - piano (9)
© 2020 Spiritmuse Records Limited
MUSIC FOR THE SPIRIT
license
all rights reserved
tags
about
Kahil El'Zabar Chicago, Illinois
Legendary multi-percussionist Kahil El’Zabar has been at the forefront of the spiritual jazz, avant-garde scene since the 70s. He's performed with legends Nina Simone, Dizzy Gillespie, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Cannonball Adderley. Kahil El’Zabar’s latest two essential albums on Spiritmuse have rightfully re-established him worldwide as an authentic, leading artist in spiritual jazz and Groove. ... more
discography
-
Feb 2022 -
Oct 2020
contact / help
Kahil El'Zabar recommends:
-
Spirit Gatherer • Tribute to Don Cherry
by Ethnic Heritage EnsembleA tribute to the late, great spiritual jazz trumpeter & composer, Don Cherry and his spiritual path, along with an unwavering conviction towards the betterment of global humanity.
go to album
If you like Kahil El'Zabar, you may also like:
-
Promises
by Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestrasupported by 136 fans who also own “Kahil El’Zabar’s America the Beautiful”
Just the kind of gentle soundtrack I need when I am doing simple repetitive manual tasks. Impossible to decide on a favourite track because they are all wonderful.
go to album -
Kahil El'Zabar's 'Spirit Groove' ft. David Murray
by Kahil El'Zabar's Spirit Groovesupported by 129 fans who also own “Kahil El’Zabar’s America the Beautiful”
Pure soul - a modern classic
go to album -
supported by 114 fans who also own “Kahil El’Zabar’s America the Beautiful”
January 2025 - Some good songs on here. Others feel a bit laboured. Overall good though.
go to album -
Open Me, A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit
by Ethnic Heritage EnsembleFifty years into their career, the jazz ensemble remains triumphant.
go to album -
Kahil El'Zabar's 'Spirit Groove' ft. David Murray
by Kahil El'Zabar's Spirit Groovefeatured on Bandcamp Radio May 5, 2020
go to album
