Elder Ones, a quintet of talented New York musicians, has earned a reputation as one of America’s most innovative alternative bands. Their rebellious, socially engaged work is bubbling with punk, free jazz and avant-garde energy.

The ensemble’s inspirations range from the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, founded in 1965, a powerful catalyst in Chicago’s experimental scene, which has launched the careers of many jazz innovators), the legacy of John and Alice Coltrane, Sun Ra and Pharoah Sanders, to the Hindu bhajan (devotional songs) and traditional music of South India.

The group’s distinctive identity is created by the harmonium and theatrical vocals of its Indian-American leader, Amirtha Kidambi, which blend into ensemble’s hypnotic jazz melodies.

Elder Ones has released three albums: Holy Science (2016), From Untruth (2019) and New Monuments (2024). The latter was inspired by the cataclysmic events of pandemic years, from racial justice to the farmers’ protests in India, and most notably by the turmoil that rocked New York after the tragic murder of African-American George Floyd at the hands of a policeman.

Kidambi describes the album’s title, New Monuments, as a metaphor for tearing down old colonial monuments, paving the way for the rebuilding of new symbols. The leader of the band is herself an activist in movements against social injustice, and co-founder of the organisations South Asian Artists in Diaspora and Musicians Against Police Brutality. She has composed and recorded soundtracks for Suneil Sanzgiri’s films on liberation struggles. Elder Ones musicians believe in the power of music for social justice.

The group has toured extensively in the US and abroad, performing at many prestigious venues including the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center, Moers, Big Ears, and Rewire festivals. The band has been praised by The New York Times, Wire Magazine, Pitchfork, NPR, The Quietus and other publications.

Amirtha Kidambi grew up singing Hindu devotional bhajan music accompanied by harmonium. She was also Bharatanatyam dancer, a South Indian classical dance form. Kidambi’s cultural heritage is very important to her, but her influences are myriad.

She studied western classical voice, musicology and ethnomusicology at Brooklyn College and Columbia University, and has performed the works of contemporary academic composers Robert Ashley, Luigi Nono and others. Later, she became involved in the New York avant-rock scene and the improvised music community.

Kidambi’s debut as the leader of Elder Ones has received the highest recognition. Critics’ polls named her a rising star in the vocal and composition categories.

Amirtha is also a core member of Mary Halvorson’s Code Girl sextet, collaborates in various projects with double bassist William Parker, and plays in duos with saxophonist Darius Jones, bassist Luke Stewart, guitarist Matteo Liberatore, pianist Ananya Ganesh and percussionist Matt Evans.

She has performed with New York improv stars Hamid Drake, Shahzad Ismaily, Trevor Dunn, Matana Roberts, Ingrid Laubrock, Tyshawn Sorey, Nick Dunston, Maria Grand, Ava Mendoza, and many more.

Various art residencies, foundations and other organisations have awarded her grants and commissions. Her works have been performed at New York’s Carnegie Hall, MoMA PS1, the Whitney Museum, Washington’s Kennedy Center, as well as at renowned festivals in the USA, Germany and Portugal.

Born to Dominican immigrants, saxophonist and composer Alfredo Colon admires Dominican folklore and the work of saxophone visionaries Albert Ayler and Ornette Coleman.

He has collaborated with William Parker, Henry Threadgill, Moses Sumney, Dawn Richard, Cautious Clay, Arturo O’Farrill, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Harish Raghavan, Aaron Parks, and other celebrities, and has presented his work at NYC Winter Jazz Fest, the performing arts and new music venue Roulette Intermedium, the Jazz Gallery and elsewhere.

The saxophonist has been commissioned by the Association of Dominican Classical Artists and Metropolis Ensemble. He is currently a Roulette Intermedium resident artist.

Saxophonist Matt Nelson is renowned as one of New York’s most unpredictable underground virtuosos, thanks to his extraordinarily varied repertoire and flexibility. His vibrant projects defy classification.

Upon graduating from the Oberlin Conservatory, he returned to his native Bay Area and established himself in its music community. In 2010, Nelson relocated to Brooklyn, New York, and began collaborating with Battle Trance, GRID, Elder Ones, Premature Burial, Skeletons, and Weasel Walter Large Ensemble. He also performs as solo act, where he often utilizes electronics.

Lester St. Louis is an important figure in New York’s experimental scene – an improvising cellist, composer, sound designer, producer and project curator whose work crosses disciplinary boundaries. His work traverses through performances, installations, artistic research and publishing.

His concert itineraries span the USA, Europe, Canada, China and South America. He has appeared at many prestigious venues and events, including the Lincoln Center and Kennedy Center, Berlin and Vancouver jazz festivals, the International Music Institute Darmstadt, Performa and Whitney biennials, and Bimhuis Jazz Club in Amsterdam.

St. Louis has collaborated with Chris Williams, Edi Kwon, Jaimie Branch, Rob Mazurek, Aruan Ortiz, Don Byron, William Parker, Shahzad Ismaily, Lukas Koenig, Miho Hatori, Irreversible Entanglements and TAK Ensemble, The International Contemporary Ensemble, Random International, Wet Ink Ensemble and many other luminaries. As a composer, St. Louis has been commissioned by artists such as The JACK Quartet, Jennifer Koh, String Noise, Ghost Ensemble among others.

As a curator, he has presented portraits of many of the world’s leading composers at New York’s experimental music venue SpectrumNYC, curated events in a variety of formats at other venues and developed projects with visual artists.

Drummer and producer Jason Nazary moved to New York from Atlanta in 2005 and has recently settled in Brooklyn, where he has influenced the local improvised music scene. He plays in a variety of different projects, most notably free jazz/punk/soul band Little Women, who have toured North America and Europe extensively and released three albums.

The drummer’s discography includes two dozen albums. He has recorded with his Anteloper, Darius Jones Trio, Noah Kaplan Quartet, Chris Pitsiokos Quartet, Joe Morris, Dave Crowell, Travis Reuter, Emilie Weibel and other improvisers.