amirtha kidambi’s elder ones

Amirtha Kidambi’s Elder Ones pushes the boundaries of free jazz, composition and electronic forms, with the raw riotous energy of "spiritual punk" confronting and resisting systems of oppression and control through their music. This time, the Elder Ones collective consists of soprano saxophonist Matt Nelson (Lydia Lunch Retrovirus), tenor saxophonist Alfredo Colon (Henry Threadgill, Moses Sumney), drummer Jason Nazary (Wrens, Saint Abdullah) and a special appearance of returning member Nick Dunston on bass (Mary Halvorson, Ches Smith, Vijay Iyer) —all of whom contribute their share of electronic textures and electroacoustic treatments. Kidambi’s voice hovers over a scorched sonic landscape equally informed by Black American liberation music, the devotional fervor of Indian Carnatic, and the unleashing of an inner scream listeners might associate with hardcore punk and harsh noise. To be sure, the propulsive presence of repetition, mantra, and call-and-response patterns instantly elicit a protest at its peak, and what remains is an ensemble ecology that fluctuates between consonance and collision. The subversive spirit and sense of collectiveness cultivated during mass demonstrations across New York City in the wake of the tragic murder of George Floyd serves as the driving force behind their latest albums New Monuments and Live in Vilnius. Kidambi describes the title as a metaphor for tearing down old colonial monuments, paving the way for the rebuilding of new symbols of collective liberation. As a document of dissent, these four compositions give proof that improvisation is instrumental in the realm of resistance.