Idris Ackamoor (born Bruce Baker, January 9, 1951) is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, actor, tap dancer, producer, administrator, and director. He is also artistic director of the jazz ensemble The Pyramids.

The Pyramids

He founded the band The Pyramids in the early 1970s at

Antioch College Antioch College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1850 by the Christian Connection and began operating in 1852 as a non-secta ...

in Ohio as part of

Cecil Taylor Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet. Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in comple ...

's Black Music Ensemble. The band toured Africa in the 1970s, adding musicians and new instruments, before settling in San Francisco in the US. 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. The band split up in 1977, but Ackamoor has reformed the Pyramids several times."Gallery: the 1970s journey of Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids"
''Wire'', June 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016

Strut Records Strut Records is a British record label that started in 1999. The label focuses on releasing dance music, jazz and afrobeat including artists Patrice Rushen, Sun Ra Arkestra and Mulatu Astatke. History The label was "acquired and re-launched ...

released new studio albums by the band in the 2010s: ''We Be All Africans'' and ''An Angel Fell''. Their 2023 album '' Afro Futuristic Dreams'' refers to the work of science fiction writers Octavia E. Butler and

Samuel R. Delany Samuel R. "Chip" Delany (, ; born April 1, 1942) is an American writer and literary critic. His work includes fiction (especially science fiction), memoir, criticism, and essays on science fiction, literature, sexual orientation, sexuality, and ...

Discography

* ''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 Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

*'' Ascent of the Nether Creatures'' ( NoBusiness, 2014) recorded in 1980

References

External links

Cultural Odyssey
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ackamoor, Idris 1951 births Living people American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Antioch College alumni African-American saxophonists Musicians from Chicago 21st-century American saxophonists Jazz musicians from Illinois 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians NoBusiness Records artists