Kahil El'Zabar

Biography

Kahil El'Zabar is an American jazz multi-instrumentalist and composer, born Clifton Blackburn on November 11, 1953, in Chicago, Illinois. As a teenager, he began playing professionally with saxophonist Gene Ammons and later became chairman of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, leading the group Ritual Trio and the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble. El'Zabar has collaborated with numerous iconic musicians, including Cannonball Adderley and Stevie Wonder.