Kahil El Zabar

Kahil El'Zabar is an internationally acclaimed legacy musician, composer, educator, published poet, visual artist and designer. He holds the titles of Dr. and Sir. having received his PHD in Inter-Disciplinary Arts from Lake Forest College and having been knighted with the "Chevalier Medal of Letters" by the Counsel General of France. He has created music with such luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie, Cannonball Adderley, Stevie Wonder, Pharoah Sanders, Neneh Cherry, Nina Simone, David Murray, and Lester Bowie to name a few. He has scored feature films "How You Like Me Now," (Warner Brothers) "Mo Money," (Columbia Pictures) "Love Jones," (New Line Cinema) and the theatrical version of "The Lion King," (Disney). He also scored his own 2014 documentary "BeKnown," produced by Darryl Roberts which gives us more insight into the man, the artist, the legend. He has taught and held the position of Associate Professor at the University of Nebraska (Lincoln) and at the University of Illinois (Chicago). He has also served on several prestigious panels such as the National Endowment of the Arts, the NPN (National Performance Network) and the Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Fund. El'Zabar is a former Chairman of the internationally acclaimed AACM, and a founding board member of the NCFE (National Campaign for the Freedom of Expression). As a cultural events specialist, El'Zabar created and produced Underground Fest (one of the most famous Jazz Festivals ever) and will be featured in the upcoming We Out Here Festival in Ripton, Cambridgeshire.