Afro-jazz collective Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids return with brilliant new Strut release ‘Shaman!’

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Afro-jazz collective Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids return with brilliant new Strut release ‘Shaman!’

The legendary spiritual Afro-jazz collective Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids, who became known due to the discovery of their now highly sought-after rare self-released seventies recordings Lalibela, King Of Kings, and Birth / Speed / Merging, have made waves recently through their newer releases on Strut Records. The iconic group returns with a brilliant new album on the London-based label, titled Shaman!.

Capturing the spirit of the group’s groundbreaking seventies releases, this new nine-track recording blends together spiritual jazz grooves, funky African-inspired rhythms, and hypnotic melodies. The album also includes some powerful and moving spoken-word vocals on tracks like “When Will I See You Again?” and the sessions title track “Shaman!”. According to bandleader Ackamoor, “the album unfolds over four Acts with personal musical statements about love and loss, mortality, the afterlife, family and salvation.”

For this recording, Ackamoor has put together a fresh new line-up that includes original 1970s Pyramids member Dr. Margaux Simmons on flute, Bobby Cobb on guitar, long-term associate Sandra Poindexter on violin, Ruben Ramos on bass, Gioele Pagliaccia on drums, and Jack Yglesias on percussion. Similar to 2018’s acclaimed An Angel Fell, which was also released on Strut, Shaman! was produced by The Heliocentrics’ Malcolm Catto at his analogue HQ, Quatermass Studio in London.

Overall, Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids continue to add to their legacy with another incredible recording, that is certainly up there with some of the best recordings to be released this year.