Jazz Blue Notes

SWEET HOME CHICAGO: One of the greatest gifts a musician can give is to nurture a younger musician, and one of the greatest ways for a musician to give back is to acknowledge those who inspired him while continuing to pave a path for future generations.

Throughout his career, Chicago-based percussionist Kahil El'Zabar has made a point of paying respect to those who came before him, most recently on an upcoming release with his Ritual Trio, "Africa N'da Blues" (Delmark, Aug. 15), which features saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. It follows 1999's "Conversations" (Delmark), which paired the trio—El'Zabar, bassist Malachi Favors, and saxophonist/pianist Ari Brown—with saxophonist Archie Shepp (who, like Sanders, is a seminal figure in the avant-garde).

"I have a different idea of age and the relationship of growth than most people might," says El'Zabar, who first performed with Sanders in 1978, a decade after being introduced to the saxophonist's spiritually based, alternately intense and introspective music. "Mr. Shepp and Mr. Sanders are still growing musicians, in terms of their ideas and commitment to their instruments.

"In cross-generational relationships, it is not about one thing being in the past and one in the present. The ideas of a creative person are focused on the future," El'Zabar says. "[Sanders and Shepp] are people who inspired me as a young adult, and now, musically, they are my peers."

The Ritual Trio, which initially consisted of El'Zabar, Favors, and the late trumpeter Lester Bowie, first recorded for the German label Sound Aspects in 1981 and again in 1983. Violinist Billy Bang eventually took over what the leader refers to as the "melodic instrument" slot, which was turned over to Brown over a decade ago. "The idea behind the ensemble is that music represents a sacred commitment," explains El'Zabar.

Favors is a veteran member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, the flagship aggregate of the Assn. for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). El'Zabar notes that Chicago's jazz scene has thrived for so long because there is a large local community that supports jazz, attending performances at local clubs such as the Velvet Lounge and the Empty Bottle.

The percussionist sums up the close-knit local scene by noting that 77-year-old saxophonist Von Freeman has been running an ongoing Chicago jam session since the 1940s. Many local musicians, including El'Zabar, cut their musical teeth at those educational performances.

According to El'Zabar, more than 30 AACM members are homeowners. "When you think of that many jazz musicians actually owning their own homes while playing music that is supposed to be so inaccessible, you see how well we've figured out how to coalition and cooperate," says the percussionist. "We've found ways to avoid compromising our music while learning how to live within modern society based on our own resources."