Biography
Kahil El'Zabar, a seasoned drummer steeped in avant-garde jazz, launched the JUBA Collective from a Chicago base. This ensemble pursues bold risks by merging house, rap, jazz, and spoken word. Its title stems from a West African dance, which the members transformed into the acronym Joined Universal Breath Ascending. Although echoes of Us3 and JazzHole surface in the dance-hip-hop-jazz blend, El'Zabar's project orients itself more squarely toward house. One promotional text framed JUBA as "Chicago jazz meets Chicago house," yet the sound actually favors hip-house over jazz, functioning primarily as dance music layered with jazz nuances. Still, several participants bring substantial jazz pedigrees, among them El'Zabar himself, guitarist Fareed Haque, who has issued recordings on Blue Note, saxman/pianist Ari Brown, born February 1, 1944, and pianist/organist Robert Irving III.
Since the 1970s El'Zabar has enriched Chicago's jazz landscape. A native of the Windy City born November 11, 1953, he maintains long-standing ties to the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, whose ranks have included avant-garde figures such as Roscoe Mitchell, Muhal Richard Abrams, Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, Joseph Jarman, and Lester Bowie. Within local jazz circles he is recognized for his enduring role in the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, which he joined in the 1970s, and for directing the Ritual Trio, whose members include fellow AACM veteran Brown. Comfortable across inside and outside improvisation, El'Zabar avoids jazz elitism, a stance JUBA illustrates through its openness to collaborators outside hardcore jazz. The roster therefore encompasses both jazz instrumentalists and spoken-word or rap artists such as Tamara Love, Susana Sandoval, and Primeridian. Another participant is Frank Orrall, founder and leader of the folk-rock/worldbeat ensemble Poi Dog Pondering. This mix supplies JUBA with an expansive range of influences, spanning house figure Marshall Jefferson, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Pharoah Sanders to alternative rap acts including De La Soul, the Jungle Brothers, Digable Planets, and A Tribe Called Quest.
During the early 2000s the collective aligned with Chicago's Premonition label. El'Zabar oversaw production of the self-titled debut album across 2001 and early 2002, after which Premonition issued the recording in March 2002.
Since the 1970s El'Zabar has enriched Chicago's jazz landscape. A native of the Windy City born November 11, 1953, he maintains long-standing ties to the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, whose ranks have included avant-garde figures such as Roscoe Mitchell, Muhal Richard Abrams, Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, Joseph Jarman, and Lester Bowie. Within local jazz circles he is recognized for his enduring role in the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, which he joined in the 1970s, and for directing the Ritual Trio, whose members include fellow AACM veteran Brown. Comfortable across inside and outside improvisation, El'Zabar avoids jazz elitism, a stance JUBA illustrates through its openness to collaborators outside hardcore jazz. The roster therefore encompasses both jazz instrumentalists and spoken-word or rap artists such as Tamara Love, Susana Sandoval, and Primeridian. Another participant is Frank Orrall, founder and leader of the folk-rock/worldbeat ensemble Poi Dog Pondering. This mix supplies JUBA with an expansive range of influences, spanning house figure Marshall Jefferson, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Pharoah Sanders to alternative rap acts including De La Soul, the Jungle Brothers, Digable Planets, and A Tribe Called Quest.
During the early 2000s the collective aligned with Chicago's Premonition label. El'Zabar oversaw production of the self-titled debut album across 2001 and early 2002, after which Premonition issued the recording in March 2002.