Kev Obátalá (Kevin Diehl)

NEW ONILU PERCUSSION QUARTET I’m so very stoked to announce that a new ONILU album will be dropping on June 27th, 2026! I’m so very stoked that the album, titled Jakuta’s Dance, will be released by 577 Records! Available now for pre-order on Bandcamp. Please hit the links in the bio/caption. . With Jakutá’s Dance, ONILU returns this time as a percussion quartet: again with legendary drummer/percussionist Joe Chambers and Kevin Diehl (your humble narrator). We are joined by Philadelphia favorite Craig McIver (M’BOOM) and the Panama-born Daniel Villarreal, a longtime contributor to the fertile Chicago jazz scene. . Please watch this space for more Jakuta’s Dance content. Please follow and share. . #577records #experimentalmuisc #onilu #avantgarde #joechambers #newyork #percussion @577records @577recordsForwardFestival

onilu is an all-percussionist trio utilizing the extensive family of drummed & tuned percussion instruments to deliver beautifully composed, arranged & executed small ensemble music. nothing about this all-percussion band feels rarified, or missing anything musical. to the contrary, onilu create a soundworld where nothing is missing, & everything is musical —defying the stereotype of modern percussion ensembles as esoteric or academic pursuits, reaffirming the powerful social & sacred musics made in african diasporic communities & across cultures by drum & percussion groups since the beginning of human time. the members of onilu are: kevin diehl, leader of the enduring philadelphia-based afro-cuban yoruba free-jazz ensemble sonic liberation front; chad taylor, artistic director of jazz studies at the university of pittsburgh & esteemed drummer of long standing in many scenes. highlights of taylor’s recent history include his work with james brandon lewis, jaimie branch, marc ribot, rob mazurek, & with joshua abrams in the duo -mind maintenance-. taylor was part of the community of young chicago-based musicians organized around fred anderson’s velvet lounge in the 1990s that included abrams, nicole mitchell, jeff parker, matana roberts, among others; living legend joe chambers began his illustrious career as the drummer on now-canonical early blue note recordings by andrew hill, bobby hutcherson, sam rivers, wayne shorter & mccoy tyner. a 1970 founding member of max roach’s pathbreaking percussion ensemble m’boom, chambers continues to record percussion-centered music as a leader for blue note records. after nearly 3 decades working with such historic drummers as denis charles, walter perkins, sunny murray, hamid drake, milford graves, susie ibarra, charles bobo shaw, & han bennink, it’s eremite records’ joy & honor to give the drummers not some, but ALL the spotlight.

Today I celebrate 9 years of kariocha along with my twin @elegua74 by the hand of @iyaonilade and Lázaro Ochungere Ibae. Love and thanks to all. Maferefun Obatalá.

A shortish clip from AIRLFT Festival Presented by Fire Museum Presents and the Rotunda Ashé Mystics: Kevin Diehl, Julius Masri & Joshua Marquez Video by Richard Stankiewicz! . Watch this space for more AIRLIFT Festival reels from an epic day of Philly creators. . Thank you ALL who came out! . #PhillyMusic #ImprovisedMusic #Philly #electro

THURSDAY! Apr 23, 2026 at 7PM Fireside Lounge at Irish Center Come celebrate our creative ancestors, AND a certain someone's day-after birthday. Curated by Terry Lawson. It's FREE! . Please join Philly's super collective of composers, improvisors and sonic healers as we celebrate our artistic heroes curated our hometown hero, TERRY LAWSON. Terry is a venerated Philly institution who has performed with the likes of Odean Pope's Saxophone Choir, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Jymie Merritt's Forerunners and many more. First Set: legacy heroes John Coltrane, Sunny Murray and more; Second Set: AIRFLT originals. This AIRLFT- Diehl, Levin, Lavelle, Lawson, Dennis, Hotep, Lowery. - Philly’s deep rooted sonic omnivores. . Be on the lookout for our new album coming 2026! More to follow. . Take SEPTA Rt. 23 bus; RR Chestnut Hill West to Carpenter; Carpool!. The AIRLFT series is EVERY 4th THURSDAY - PHOTO: @John Hubbard . #harmolodic #isthatjazz #LiveMusic #phillymusic #improv #experimental #vibemusic #jazz #phillyjazz #ornette #AEC #ayler #dudupakwana #afrofuturist #mountairyphilly

THE MUSICIANS (in order of appearance) Julius Masri Joshua Marquez Kevin Diehl Dave Ross Matt Lavelle Pete Dennis Alex Smith Elliot Levin Jan Jeffries DM Hotep Tara Middleton Mike Szekely Todd Margasak Emily Robb Walter Gershon Terry Lawson Daniel Villarreal Tom Lowery Jair-Rhom Parker Wells . FIRE MUSEUM PRESENTS Steven Tobin, Ashley Burrows, Evan Croen . THE ROTUNDA Gina Renzi, Gladys Nobriga, Styxx Latte . VIDEOGRAPHER Richard Stankiewicz

Today starting at 2pm at The Rotunda located at 4014 Walnut Street (near the 40th street MFL/L1 station) - the AIRLFT Festival! Co-presented with High Two Records & Chiladelphia Celebrating the Philly creative improv and sonic arts community! Event is free, donations appreciated. 2:00PM Ashé Mystics: 2:50 PM The Humanosity Project: 3:40 PM Spectral Forces: 4:30 PM Avant Guardian Angels: 5:20 PM Emily Robb, Todd Margasak & Mike Szekely trio: 6:10PM Future Ghosts Ensemble: 7:00PM Instant Arts Quartet: 7:50 PM: d' TING!: 8:40 PM: AIRLFT: Times are approximate but we will do our best to stay on schedule. More info at the link in bio. See you there!

Fire Museum Presents the INSTANT ARTS QUARTET (IAQ). IAQ trades in dynamics, advancing everything from reflective mediations to full-bore, face-melting group improvisation. On Lingua Franca, IAQ’s debut recording, dynamics are on full display: dynamics in the conventional sense; dynamics of texture; dynamics of densities; dynamics of pre-composed and improvised points of view. Footage by JOHN HUBBARD . TERRY LAWSON – Tenor Sax, Bells; KEVIN DIEHL – Extended Drum Kit, Percussion; MATT LAVELLE – Trumpet, Alto Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Gong; PETE DENNIS – Acoustic Bass, Bamboo Flute . The INSTANT ARTS QUARTET performs on Sunday March 29th at The Rotunda located at 4014 Walnut Street (near the 40th Street MFL/L1 station) for the AIRLFT Festival. It all starts at 2PM, more info and advanced registration at the link in bio. . See you there!

Fire Museum Presents the AIRLFT Ensemble with special guest JAIR-RHOM PARKER WELLS. Founded by veteran Philadelphia drummer/percussionist Kevin Diehl in 2022, AIRLFT is a monthly series and an ensemble bringing together a multi-generational congregation of avant-jazz explorers. . The amorphous ensemble quickly cohered around a core group of artists with a web of shared histories, influences and collaborators: saxophonists Terry Lawson and Elliott Levin; trumpeter and clarinetist Matt Lavelle; guitarists DM Hotep and Joshua Marquez; bassist Dennis; and percussionist Tom Lowery; along with Diehl on drums and a variety of Afro-Cuban percussion instruments. Video by JOHN HUBBARD . The AIRLFT Ensemble performs on Sunday March 29th at The Rotunda located at 4014 Walnut Street (near the 40th Street MFL/L1 station) for the AIRLFT Festival. It all starts at 2PM, more info and advanced registration at the link in bio. . See you there!

Fire Museum Presents the AIRLFT Ensemble Founded by veteran Philadelphia drummer/percussionist Kevin Diehl in 2022, AIRLFT is a monthly series and an ensemble bringing together a multi-generational congregation of avant-jazz explorers. . The amorphous ensemble quickly cohered around a core group of artists with a web of shared histories, influences and collaborators: saxophonists Terry Lawson and Elliott Levin; trumpeter and clarinetist Matt Lavelle; guitarists DM Hotep and Joshua Marquez; bassist Dennis; and percussionist Tom Lowery; along with Diehl on drums and a variety of Afro-Cuban percussion instruments. VIDEO by Richard Stankiewicz . The AIRLFT Ensemble performs on Sunday March 29th at The Rotunda located at 4014 Walnut Street (near the 40th Street MFL/L1 station) for the AIRLFT Festival. It all starts at 2PM, more info and advanced registration at the link in bio. . See you there!

Fire Museum Presents the Ashé Mystics: A trippy electro trio: 2 drummer – percussionists, 1 guitar squeezed through massive FX and extended techniques. The Ashé Mystics are Kevin Diehl, Julius Masri & Joshua Marquez. They create a world of sound with electronic circuitry, improv and percussive underpinnings. FOOTAGE by Richard Stankiewicz . The Ashe Mystics perform on Sunday March 29th at The Rotunda located at 4014 Walnut Street (near the 40th Street MFL/L1 station) for the AIRLFT Festival. It all starts at 2PM, more info and advanced registration at the link in bio. Video by John Hubbard . See you there!

Percussionist Daniel Villarreal, known for his collaborative spirit has performed and recorded extensively with Dos Santos as well as on solo projects with Chicago jazz guitarist Jeff Parker and bassist Anna Butterss. His collaborators span a wide musical spectrum, including legendary jazz drummer, vibraphonist, pianist and composer Joe Chambers; singer-songwriter and keyboardist Neal Francis; experimental harpist Mary Lattimore; Marshall Allen, longtime leader of the Sun Ra Arkestra and others. He will be joined by percussionists Tom Lowery & Kevin Diehl in d' TING! who are performing at the AIRLFT festival taking place on Sunday, March 29th starting at 2PM at The Rotunda located at 4014 Walnut Street (near the 40th Street MFL/L1 station). More info and advanced registration link in bio. See you there!