Idris Ackamoor, A Musical Portrait [Mondo Jazz Ep. 43]

This week we feature an exclusive interview with, and two hours of music by the bay area saxophonist Idris Ackamoor. An iconoclast like Thelonious Monk once famously said "You play what you want and let the public pick up on what you're doing. Even if it does take them 15 or 20 years". In the case of Idris Ackamoor, that took more like 35 years. But the amount of attention that his music has garnered in the past decade is a well deserved pay-back to a musician that has cultivated his own vision pursuing -- for five decades -- a personal path, fueled by a fascination for his African roots, a profound respect for Duke Ellington, Cecil Taylor and Sun Ra, as well as an admiration for the capacity of musicians like Fela Kuti and Bob Marley to balance the spiritual and the artistic with the social and political dimensions of music. All of that infused with a contagious theatrical ability that makes his performances memorable. Detailed playlist available at https://spinitron.com/radio/index.php?station=rfb&playlist=7830#here