Sir Kahil El’Zabar was knighted by the Counsel General of France in 2014 for his long-standing international contributions to the Arts. Dr. El’zabar holds a PhD in (Interdisciplinary Arts), from Lake Forest College, in 2006. He was an associate professor of music and collaborative arts at U. Nebraska(Lincoln),(1985-1995) and U.Illinois(Chicago), (1999-2004). El’Zabar was chairman of the Iconic Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians(AACM)1975-1983. He has worked with such luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Pharoah Sanders, Cannonball Adderly, Donnie Hathaway, Lester Bowie, Neneh Cherry, Archie Shepp, David Murray, Nona Hendryx, Ntozake Shange.