Philip Cohran & The Artistic Heritage Ensemble

A live performance recorded on February 25, 1968 at the Affro-Arts Theater, a cultural center in Chicago operated by Philip Cohran from 1967-1970. This concert was a tribute to the late Malcolm X in the form of a suite of 4 tracks, each capturing a period of his life, 'Malcolm Little,' 'Detroit Red,' 'Malcolm X,' and 'El Hajj Malik El Shabazz.' The personnel and instrumentation are almost identical to Cohran's 'On the Beach' session. This historic and mesmerizing concert was originally an LP issued on Cohran's Zulu label. Original copies of that record are very rare collector's items and sell for hundreds of dollars. Kelan Phil Cohran is an unsung hero of jazz history and a cosmic treasure. He played with Sun Ra in the late '50s and early '60s and was a co-founder of the world famous AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians). In a manner similar to Art Blakey, Chico Hamilton and Betty Carter, Cohran identified and nurtured young jazz talent, many of whom went on to achieve worldwide recognition. The Malcolm X Memorial material is in a category all its own. Cohran lives in Chicago and continues to compose and perform at the age of 79.