Though less well known than some of his fellow AACM alumni, percussionist-vocalist-composer Kahil El Zabar is a seminal presence on the Chicago improviser's scene, having led the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble for well over four decades. During that time he has consistently built on the Afro-centric foundation laid by anybody from Randy Weston to Pharoah Sanders, creating a signature sound that typically mixes bucking horn figures, chanted choruses, bursts of lead vocal and a djembe-driven groove that rumbles in deep, felt-like low frequencies, bringing added richness to an ensemble sound which has no washes of cymbals. There is a pleasing sense of space and clarity in EHE's recordings that achieve gravitas without being weighed down by too many parts. This streamlined, sometimes sparse character contrasts vividly with the moments where El Zabar turns to the drum kit and swings hard. This new release is true to form, and while the dedication to Weston gives the session a sense of summary of El Zabar's lengthy history and sources of inspiration, there is a fizzing energy in young bandmembers such as trumpeter Corey Wilkes and saxophonist Alex Harding, both of whom improvise powerfully, but also, crucially, play all-important unison riffs with just the right strength. At his most impassioned El Zabar lets out the kind of screams that have marked blues culture since its genesis, and EHE's ability to bridge the then and now, the ancient and future, is engrossing.