Idris Ackamoor (born Bruce Baker, January 9, 1951)[1][2] is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, actor, tap dancer, producer, administrator, and director.[3] He is also artistic director of the jazz ensemble The Pyramids.[4]
Idris Ackamoor | |
|---|---|
.jpg) At San Francisco City Hall, March 2017 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bruce Baker |
| Born | January 9, 1951 Chicago, Illinois, US |
| Origin | Yellow Springs, Ohio, US |
| Genres | Jazz, afrobeat |
| Member of | The Pyramids |
The Pyramids edit
He founded the band The Pyramids in the early 1970s at Antioch College in Ohio as part of Cecil Taylor's Black Music Ensemble.[5] The band toured Africa in the 1970s, adding musicians and new instruments, before settling in San Francisco in the US.[5] Exploratory self-releases Lalibela (1973), King Of Kings (1974), and Birth / Speed / Merging (1976) had very limited runs, being sold only at concerts out of the trunks of their cars.[6]
The band split up in 1977, but Ackamoor has reformed the Pyramids several times.[5] Strut Records released new studio albums by the band in the 2010s: We Be All Africans and An Angel Fell.[7][8] Their 2023 album Afro Futuristic Dreams refers to the work of science fiction writers Octavia E. Butler and Samuel R. Delany.[9][10]
Discography edit
- Portrait (1998)
- Centurian (2000)
- Homage to Cuba (2004)
- An Angel Fell (2018)
- Shaman! (2020)
- Afro Futuristic Dreams (2023)
With Earl Cross, Rashied Al Akbar, and Muhammad Ali
- Ascent of the Nether Creatures (NoBusiness, 2014) recorded in 1980
References edit
- ^ "Idris Ackamoor". AllMusic. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- ^ "Idris Ackamoor: Biography". All About Jazz. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- ^ Rosen, Michael (19 January 2011). "D/B 11+3 Interview with Idris Ackamoor from the Pyramids". 11plus3.de. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
- ^ "Idris Ackamoor & the Pyramids: An Angel Fell review – stately and lyrical". TheGuardian.com. 13 May 2018.
- ^ a b c "Gallery: the 1970s journey of Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids", Wire, June 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016
- ^ "Review: Idris Ackamoor & the Pyramids' 'Shaman!'". Postgenre.org. 14 August 2020.
- ^ Denselow, Robin (June 2, 2016). "Idris Ackamoor and the Pyramids: We Be All Africans review – Afro-jazz-fusion veterans keep fire burning". The Guardian. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- ^ Spencer, Neil (May 13, 2018). "Idris Ackamoor & the Pyramids: An Angel Fell review – stately and lyrical". The Guardian. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- ^ "IDRIS ACKAMOOR & THE PYRAMIDS: Two-night residency". West Philly Local. 2023-09-15. Archived from the original on 2023-09-14. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
- ^ May, Chris (2023-09-08). "Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids: Afro Futuristic Dreams album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Archived from the original on 2023-09-14. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
External links edit
- Cultural Odyssey Archived 2013-05-16 at the Wayback Machine
- Idris Ackamoor's channel on YouTube