"Chicago percussionist Sir Kahil El'Zabar celebrates 45 years in style with trumpeter Corey Wilkes and saxophonist Alex Harding, as trance leitmotivs and fluctuating rhythms trace spiritual jazz's roots"

"His lyric conceits can be cloying, his vocals are sometimes strained, and his grunting, gasping, muttering, and chanting during others' solos is distracting at best and downright annoying at worst. Nonetheless, after more than 40 years at the helm of the Ensemble, he's earned the right to add his voice to those of the ancestors whose spirits he and his colleagues continue to honor and help keep alive"