Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids

Ars Nova Workshop and Painted Bride Art Center presents the return of saxophonist Idris Ackamoor, celebrating the 50th anniversary of his pioneering Afro-Futurist ensemble The Pyramids for two nights at the Painted Bride in West Philly.

San Francisco-based alto saxophonist Idris Ackamoor co-founded The Pyramids in 1972 while he was a student at Antioch College, where his teachers included iconic pianist Cecil Taylor. The septet, which absorbs influences from avant-garde jazz and African music traditions, evokes such forebears as Sun Ra, Pharoah Sanders and Fela Kuti. On The Pyramids’ latest cosmic outing, Afro Futuristic Dreams, Ackamoor draws on the writings of science fiction writers Octavia Butler and Samuel R. Delany, further expanding the band’s horizons while reflecting on its storied half-century history.