''What It Is!'' is an album by American jazz 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 ...

, which was recorded in 2012 and released on Delmark. It was the debut of a quartet comprising three young players from the school of Chicago's AACM: tenor saxophonist Kevin Nabors, pianist Justin Dillard and bassist Junius Paul. The album includes five originals and two jazz standards by John Coltrane: " Impressions" and "Central Park West".Original Liner Notes by Howard Mandel

Reception

The '' Down Beat'' review by John Murph states "Kahil El’Zabar moves toward the center this time around and releases one of his most accessible discs yet. The adventurous drummer and bandleader steers an impressive quartet, composed of some of the newer generations of the AACM, and emphasizes blues, swing and groove."Murph, John. ''What It Is!'' review. ''Down Beat'' June 13: page 66. Print. The All About Jazz review by Troy Collins says "Whether navigating funky R&B, modal post-bop or expressionistic abstraction, El'Zabar's young sidemen invest their efforts with palpable conviction, imparting even textbook extrapolations with heartfelt urgency."Collins, Tro
''What It Is!'' review
at All About Jazz In his review for '' JazzTimes'' David Whiteis states "As Howard Mandel’s liner notes assure us, this music is 'neither avant-garde nor old guard.' It’s unselfconsciously both contemporary and roots-rich, and it resonates with the joy of invention."Whiteis, Davi
''What It Is!'' review
at '' JazzTimes''

Track listing

:''All compositions by Kahil El'Zabar except as indicated'' # "The Nature Of" – 9:50 # " Impressions" ( John Coltrane) – 9:43 # "What It Is!" – 4:00 # "Song of Myself" – 11:38 # "Central Park West" (John Coltrane) – 9:33 # "Kari" – 10:05

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 ...

, African earth drum, kalimba *Kevin Nabors – tenor sax *Justin Dillard – piano,

Hammond B3 organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs ...

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, th ...

*Junius Paul –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

References

{{Authority control 2013 albums Kahil El'Zabar albums Delmark Records albums