pyramids: otherworldly

Founded 40 years ago in 1972, The Pyramids release their first album in over 35 years. They released three albums before splitting up in 1977 -- albums that made them one of the most mysterious and legendary of all the spiritual cosmic jazz collectives of the early '70s. There was a highly energetic reunion in 2007, boosting their trademark sound of massive Afro-centric drums and percussion meeting ecstatic group improvisations. The Pyramids' extensive European tours in 2010/2011 turned out to be a great triumph: mesmerizing audiences at various clubs and festivals all over Europe with a new sound and a new band configuration featuring founding members Idris Ackamoor and Kimathi Asante, original member Bradie Speller, and special guest artists Kenneth Nash and Kash Killion. The collective received rave reviews and standing ovations in every city they played in. They also blew Gilles Peterson's mind at Worldwide Festival and the Worldwide Awards, where The Pyramids' spiritual and musical leader, Idris Ackamoor was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. In summer 2011, The Pyramids were recording tracks for a new double album (the first since 1976) at the studio of Krautrock legends Faust in South Germany. The new album contains 14 never-before-released tracks. The Pyramids' signature sound is still percussion-driven -- no surprise with Nash and Speller being two of the most masterful percussionists on the planet. Another signature style of The Pyramids is the "two bass" concept, combining Kash Killion's acoustic bass with electric bass by Thomas "Kimathi Asante" Williams. Idris Ackamoor plays his alto sax in an absolutely astonishing way, sometimes simultaneously performing tap dance to create percussive rhythms, suggesting a "post-be-bop Prince" as The New York Times called him. The Pyramids trip out into unexplored territory of spontaneous improvisation, sometimes trancing like off to an outer/inner-space journey. The Pyramids were world music even before the term was coined back in the early '70s. They use a battery of ethnic instruments such as mbira, calypso boxes, Russian zither, West African bolong, Egyptian sensemia harp, pygmy whistle, etc., using them in a manner quite otherworldly.