Amirtha Kidambi: Elder Ones at Alphabet City/City of Asylum, North Side

Elder ones

Elder Ones fuses classical and jazz music with international influences to create a symphony of avant-garde sound.  Amirtha Kidambi was formally trained in classical music but felt the pull of free jazz drawing her toward a different path. Influenced by Carnatic music of the Indian subcontinent as well as avant-gardists like Nono and Stockhausen, she creates drones on the harmonium — an old, air-powered keyboard — and coaxes her bandmates into musically ripping this foundation apart.

Ben Ratliff wrote in the New York Times, “the aggressive and sublime first album by the band Elder Ones, Holy Science, is a kind of gauge for how strong and flexible the scene of young musicians in New York’s improvised and experimental music world can be.” 

Featured Musicians:

Amirtha Kidambi (Vocals, Harmonium, Synthesizer, Compositions)
Matt Nelson (Soprano Saxophone)
Nick Dunston (Bass)
Max Jaffe (Drums and Electronic Sensory Percussion)