''The Continuum'' is an album by

Ethnic Heritage Ensemble Ethnic Heritage Ensemble is an American jazz ensemble founded in 1973 by percussionist Kahil El'Zabar. Its members have included Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, Joseph Bowie, Ernest Dawkins, Light Henry Huff, Edward Wilkerson, Hanah Jon Taylor, an ...

, a jazz band formed by percussionist

Kahil El'Zabar Kahil El'Zabar (born Clifton Blackburn; November 11, 1953) is an American jazz multi-instrumentalist (mainly a Percussion instrument, percussionist) and composer. He regularly records for Delmark Records. Life and work El'Zabar was born in Chica ...

, who is joined by trombonist

Joseph Bowie Joseph Bowie (born October 17, 1953) is an American jazz trombonist and vocalist. The brother of trumpeter Lester Bowie, Joseph is known for leading the jazz-punk group Defunkt and for membership in the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble. Career Bowi ...

and two new members: saxophonist

Ernest Dawkins Ernest Dawkins (born 2 November 1953 in Chicago, Illinois, United States) is an American jazz saxophonist, principally active in free jazz and post-bop. Ernest Khabeer Dawkins was a neighbor of Anthony Braxton as a child. He played bass and dru ...

, who replaces Ed Wilkerson, and percussionist 'Atu' Harold Murray. It was recorded in 1997 and released on Delmark.

Reception

In his review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, Michael G. Nastos states "All the intensity of the EHE is here, but it has a quieter sonority, allowing more subtle shades to rise to the surface." The ''

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' review by Jon Andrews notes "Replacing Ed Wilkerson in the ensemble, Dawkins has a tough act to follow, but he succeeds, bringing a lighter, exuberant sound on tenor and alto saxophones."Andrews, John. ''The Continuum'' review. ''Down Beat'' March 98: page 55. Print. In a double review for ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growth ...

'' John Murph says "The result is an amazing tribal jazz record that could rival any drum & bass track, hands down. Despite the smoother fluidity, ''The Continuum'' also amounts to one of the EHE's funkiest and most accessible offerings of recent times."Murph, Joh
''The Continuum'' review
at ''

Track listing

:''All compositions by Kahil El'Zabar except as indicated'' # "The Continuum" – 11:39 # "Well You Needn't" (

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", "B ...

) – 6:19 # "Ancestral Song" – 10:02 # "Ornette" – 11:47 # "From Whence We Came" – 8:39 # "Chatham Dirge" – 8:24 # "All Blues" (

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

) – 7:08

Personnel

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

, African thumb piano, voice *

–

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

, percussion *

–

tenor sax The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

alto sax The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

, percussion *'Atu' Harold Murray – percussion, voice on 1

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Continuum 1997 albums Kahil El'Zabar albums Delmark Records albums