Yazz Ahmed
Dubbed the 'high priestess of psychedelic Arabic jazz’, Yazz Ahmed has been hailed as one of the most influential trumpet players of her generation. An Ivor Novello award-winning composer, she makes sweeping epics that are rich with storytelling, depicting evocative ancient worlds and mythological muses. Here she brings her quartet to Ronnie Scott's to present music from her latest album, A Paradise In The Hold.
This album marks a significant evolution in Ahmed’s musical journey, blending her British-Bahraini heritage with contemporary jazz. The album is a tribute to the sorrowful songs of Bahrain’s pearl divers, the strength of Arab women, and the celebratory rhythms of women's traditional drumming circles, while also telling the story of Yazz’s own decade-long voyage of self-discovery.
Critics have praised the album for its fiery blend of instinct and improvisation: “Yazz Ahmed has created her most exquisite sonic world yet on A Paradise In The Hold, 10 tracks of magnetic, boundary-transcending jazz" – UNCUT.
A masterpiece, a work of tremendous sensitivity and creative insight brought to life by a musical visionary capable of advancing and remaking 21st century jazz.
[A] fiery blend of instinct and improvisation... Ahmed delivers jazz-influenced songs that shine brightest when they are fast and free.
There’s a transportive aspect to Yazz Ahmed’s music, and a subtle yet pervasive sense of joy.
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