Idris Ackamoor

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
At San Francisco City Hall, March 2017
At San Francisco City Hall, March 2017
Background information
Birth nameBruce Baker
Born (1951-01-09) January 9, 1951
Chicago, Illinois, US
OriginYellow Springs, Ohio, US
GenresJazz, afrobeat
Member ofThe Pyramids

The Pyramids

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
  • 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

References
  1. "Idris Ackamoor". AllMusic. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  2. "Idris Ackamoor: Biography". All About Jazz. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  3. Rosen, Michael (19 January 2011). "D/B 11+3 Interview with Idris Ackamoor from the Pyramids". 11plus3.de. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
  4. "Idris Ackamoor & the Pyramids: An Angel Fell review – stately and lyrical". TheGuardian.com. 13 May 2018.
  5. "Gallery: the 1970s journey of Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids", Wire, June 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016
  6. "Review: Idris Ackamoor & the Pyramids' 'Shaman!'". Postgenre.org. 14 August 2020.
  7. 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.
  8. Spencer, Neil (May 13, 2018). "Idris Ackamoor & the Pyramids: An Angel Fell review – stately and lyrical". The Guardian. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  9. "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.
  10. 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.
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