Music has always had artists who used their work as a platform for social change as much as creative expression. Few improvising musicians are as fierce and vocal as singer, composer and keyboardist Amirtha Kidambi, who has used her protean free jazz band Elder Ones as a megaphone for her compassionate convictions.
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Porträt der fünf Musiker*innen
On last year’s riveting “New Monuments” she surveyed the wreckage in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the global pandemic. Kidambi was an active participant in the protests that erupted in response to the first Trump administration’s policies, and first-hand experience allowed her to witness how playing instruments sometimes managed to achieve a détente.
Those experiences informed the music created with her devoted ensemble Elder Ones, as they developed a furious collision of free jazz and post-Alice Coltrane, Indo-stoked spirituality.
Since the album was recorded back in 2023 the band has coalesced around its most fertile line-up, with the jousting saxophones of Matt Nelson and Alfredo Colón, and the rhythm section of double bassist Lester St. Louis – who previously played cello in the group – and drummer Jason Nazary, both close associates of Jazzfest Berlin veteran Jaimie Branch. The band will present music from a new album at Jazzfest Berlin 2025 – and considering the state of the planet we can expect new perspectives from the group’s musically fearless leader.
- Amirtha Kidambi’s Elder Ones
- (US)
- European premiere
Line-up
- Amirtha Kidambi – voice, harmonium
- Matt Nelson – soprano saxophone
- Alfredo Colón – tenor saxophone
- Lester St. Louis – double bass
- Jason Nazary – drums
Additional information
Dates
October 2025
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