Idris Ackamoor

...
After incredible performances and experiences during the fall of 1972 Margo, Kimathi and myself left Amsterdam on our way to Africa in December 1972. We flew to Malaga, Spain and then to Tangier, Morocco. We were almost turned away from touching the ground of Africa by a bellicose customs official who thought we were "hippies". Fortunately, we got pass the official and entered the mystical legendary Kasbah. The smells, and colors of the Kasbah were just more musical fodder for ater compositions.
We finally landed in Accra, Ghana where we made our home. A young Ghanaian named Kojo befriended us and his family led by the "Diamond Queen", Aunti Bea. We stayed with the family of Aunti Bea at her compound entitled, "Weekend in Havana". From this base Margo, Kimathi and myself became immersed in the color, fascination, and incredible musical life and culture of Ghana. Ghana was a musicians dream!! Music was everywhere.
We were musicians, college students, seekers, and acolytes in Africa. Margo and myself took an amazing musical spiritual journey up into Northern Ghana. The land of the Fra Fra of Bolgatanga, and the Islam influenced Dagom ba in Tamale. We had our instruments and a tape recorder in hand. It was as if we had stepped back five hundred years into an ancient Africa complete with court musicians and colorful pageantry....(Idris Acamoor in linear notes)

disk 1
1 Shepherd's Tune
2 Lands of Eternal Song Suite, Pt. 3
3 Lalibela
4 Masenko Nights
5 Ya A Ya A
6 River Ganges
7 Mohgo Naba
8 Queen of the Spirits, Pt. 3

disk 2
1 Aomawa
2 Birth/Speed/Merging
3 Black Man of the Nile
4 Africa
5 Spiritual Rebirth
6 Topanga
7 Centurian
8 Cubana

thegoodone is the word to say

pass by or stay

you are welcomed anyway :)

2-CD collection of the ex-leader of legendary Afro-spiritual/deep funk/free jazz group from 1970s Ohio (later in SF), The Pyramids.
Their music is one of the most deep attempts by African-Americans, deep sounds like Strata-East, aggressive performances like Tribe or Black Jazz, every free jazz/funk collectors should agree on it. Featuring 10 pieces of The Pyramids taken from their 3 albums and unreleased (!) recordings (included first live recording in Holland!). Notably The Pyramids had even stayed in African countries like Morocco, Ghana, Kenya & Ethiopia and studied real African culture & music there in the early 1970s. Do you know other African-American jazz musicians who had done such a road trip in early 1970s?

Also featuring never heard pre-Pyramids, P. Sanders & Strata East recording as The Collective, and 4 pieces from the late '70s to '00s, recording as Idris Ackamoor Quartet/Ensemble.

REVIEW:
As with every review of a release on EM records, we feel obligated to gush just a little. WHAT AN AMAZING LABEL! Most definitely the coolest reissue label going. Completely off the wall releases dug up and given new life. Amazing packaging, killer liner notes, tons of photos. So much love and passion obviously goes into each and every release we'd almost buy every one regardless of the music. Thankfully, pretty much everything we've heard so far is absolutely amazing, and well deserving of a deluxe reissue treatment. read more