The performance featured a blend of new and classic works by Idris Ackamoor and his ensemble, The Ankhestra, including members of his iconic band, The Pyramids.
By Abioye Damilare Samson
American multi-instrumentalist and composer, Idris Ackamoor, presents a new recording titled Artistic Being, for Record Store Day 2025. The project marks a celebration of fifty years in the performing arts, dating back to the founding of the legendary band, The Pyramids, in 1972. The special release features acclaimed actor and activist, Danny Glover, alongside renowned stage actress and director, Rhodessa Jones.
In February 2024, Ackamoor’s performing arts company, Cultural Odyssey, teamed up with San Francisco venue The Lab to present “Underground Jazz Cabaret” as part of Black History Month programming.
Speaking on the collaboration, Ackamoor shared, “Collaborating with Danny Glover and Rhodessa Jones, two of the most revered Artistic Beings, was a profound honour. Their unwavering dedication to ‘art as social activism’ feels more urgent and necessary than ever”.
The performance featured a blend of new and classic works by Idris Ackamoor and his ensemble, The Ankhestra, including members of his iconic band, The Pyramids. Glover and Jones also delivered evocative spoken-word musical tone poems such as “Grandma Cole Story”, a poignant recounting of the slave trade through the eyes of a young African girl, and China Lane Suite, which follows an unlikely love story during the Reconstruction era. Glover also performed his original piece, “In God’s Country”, a heartfelt tribute to his mother.
The evening culminated with Ackamoor’s newest composition, “Now!”, a moving response to the crises in the Middle East. Scored and arranged by Ackamoor for a newly expanded 14-piece Ankhestra, the performance served as a testament to the enduring power of music and performance in speaking truth to power.