Listen to 'Impressions' and dive into a kaleidoscope of sonorities coming from the wide-open vision of musical concepts of the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble. For more than thirty years, the group has carried the American tradition of percussive jazz onward from a distinctly African-Chicago-American perspective. Founded in 1973 by percussionist Kahil El'Zabar, this, their second album and first for Red Records (1982), is a much sought-after LP by collectors, with second-hand copies changing hands at incredibly high prices.

Delmark Records continues to produce some memorable jazz DVDs and Ethnic Heritage Ensemble's Hot'N'Heavy Live at the Ascension Loft is no exception. From the first few sounds and frames of the video, one dynamic image absorbs the viewer: the group's leader, percussionist Kahil El'Zabar, has more energy in his fingertips than most of us have in our entire bodies.