Polyhymnia
What sounds like the distant sounds of an orchestra tuning, getting ready to play, subtly merges into the yearning lament of a trumpet, heralding a new dawn. Ethereal, poetic, sublime, abstract yet ever so melodic are the opening moments to British-Bahraini trumpet player, composer and "high priestess of psychedelic Arabic jazz" Yazz Ahmed's recently released third album "Polyhymnia". Expectations for this one are sky high, considering the overwhelming global success of her gorgeous 2017-released sophomore full-length "La Saboteuse", which among numerous rave reviews has meanwhile received consideration as one of the top albums of the decade.
Based in London, a staple of the city's flourishing new jazz scene, Yazz Ahmed was approached by Tomorrow's Warriors back in 2015 and "commissioned to write an extended work, to be performed by members of their Nu Civilisation Orchestra, for a concert at the Women of the World Festival, on International Women's Day." Needless to say, this sparked a prolonged creative process, as Yazz Ahmed set out to gather inspiration and chanced upon the ancient Greek Muse of music, poetry and dance, Polyhymnia. She proceeded to conceive a "suite of moments, each dedicated to women of outstanding qualities, role models, with whom [she] felt a strong connection."
Instead of focussing on "the embodiment of [her] inner-destroyer as the catalyst for creation" on "La Saboteuse", "Polyhymnia" might be see as a sort of anti-muse, "inspiring an intense period of creativity", as the album's six pieces "evolved and expanded" Yazz Ahmed's to take on their current form. The track "One Girl Among Many" even contains parts of Malala Yousafzai's powerful speech to the UN Youth Assembly in 2013. Alongside numerous co-contributors on "Polyhymnia", Yazz Ahmed sets sail on a mission to inspire and achieve clarity through compelling complexity and honour "the stories and achievements of these exceptional women" throughout time.
You can stream the full album and/or watch her perform the psychedelic version to her 2017 track "The Lost Pearl" below.
More posts
Zenit & Nadir
Once you see this Lima-based DJ and producer duo perform live, as they distribute their psychoactive potion on stage wearing folkloric masks and weaving intricate electronic tapestries of traditional Latin American rhythms and sounds, you will understand why some people call them the Peruvian Daft Punk. And though we've had Dengue Dengue Dengue and their digital cumbia aesthetic on our radar for quite some time, we curiously never got around to featuring them [...]
Goblin
Oh, the horror! Yes, people. Halloween is once again upon us with its ghosts, ghouls and goblins. Well, actually that would be GOBLIN, you know, the band. If you're into horror soundtracks, then Claudio Simonetti's GOBLIN is sure to ring a bell. Formed in the early '70s, following in the footsteps of bands such as Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Gentle Giant and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, the now legendary Italian progressive rock band became a global phenomenon [...]
Rwandance
Berlin-based independent record label Shika Shika for "music without borders" recently released Hamburg multi-instrumentalist/sound-artist Andi Otto's third full-length "Rwandance", a joint project with Rwandan musician and dancer Evariste Karinganire. In 2018, the two first came together while working on a dance piece by Yolanda Gutiérrez, Jens Dietrich and Dorcy Rugamba, entitled "Planet Kigali", which you can watch in full here. The performance premiered at [...]
Historia Natural
Some four years ago, around the time we started our Greedy venture, we picked up on the wily dealings of Colombian three-piece Los Pirañas, via their second full-length "La Diversión Que Hacía Falta En Mi País". The three musical accomplices met back in high school some 25 years ago and have meanwhile made a name for themselves individually and collectively. Alias Los Pirañas, Mario Galeano (bass), Pedro Ojeda (drums, percussion) and Eblis Alvarez [...]
Catastrophic Life
"How did I find myself in the back seat of your life / Why did it feel so good, when you stabbed me with that knife?" Ah, the undeniable of joys of holy matrimony, married life or hell, as some may perceive it. Tel Aviv's Jewish Monkeys take their latest single "Catastrophic Life" behind closed doors and into the realms of the subconscious.
Released last Friday, the hilarious companion music video, directed by the infamous A.T. Mann and produced by London's [...]
Tanko Bushi
Japan's Minyo Crusaders are a 10-piece big band of sorts, quite unlike anything we've heard. On a mission to rework Japanese 'min'yō' folk songs into more danceable and let's say accessible arrangements, blending Japanese traditions with Latin, African, Caribbean and Asian flavours, the group has been on a tear, ever since the release of their debut album "Echoes of Japan" on Mais Um back in May.
With several European live dates ahead in November/December, [...]
Ana Mazzotti
A few weeks ago we were caught off guard by an Instagram ad from Far Out Recordings, teasing two upcoming and now released re-issues of Brazilian artist Ana Mazzotti. The ad was accompanied by an incredibly catchy track that instantly struck a chord and led us to mark the release day in our calendars. As we now know, the track in question was "Agora Ou Nunca Mais", the opener of her 1974 debut album "Niguem Vai Me Segurar". We had never heard of Mazzotti before [...]
Obiaa!
Ghanaian highlife music is as alive as ever and so is the irresistibly charismatic and no doubt iconic "golden voice of Africa" , Pat Thomas. At 72 years and after approximately 50 years in music with the likes of Ebo Taylor, Fela Kuti and Tony Allen, he just delivered his second album alongside Accra's Kwashibu Area Band on Strut Records, proving yet again that age is but a number. And just like its self-entitled, 2015-released predecessor, "Obiaa!" (which [...]
Grup Doğuş
Istanbul's Grup Ses is back at it. This time the avid digger, DJ and producer resurfaced an obscure 1975 one-take album by the should be and maybe soon to be legendary Grup Doğuş, aka the brothers Tufan and Muhittin Aydoğan, guest workers, who emigrated from Turkey to Germany and in 1974 formed their group.
Tufan Aydoğan, playfully dubbed "Hammond Tufan, the Conqueror of all organs" by none other than Barış Manço, was, as you may have guessed, the [...]
Vanrock
We've been a fan of Fortuna Records label boss Kalbata and his production wizardry ever since his "Congo Beat the Drum" release alongside fellow producer Mixmonster. That being said, we were all the more intrigued when he dropped his latest six-tracker on Fortuna about a month ago, which we share with you today.
On "Vanrock" Kalbata joins forces with Israeli psychedelic afro-pop five-piece Tigris on a deeply mystical affair. The album draws inspiration from [...]
In Living Colour
Earlier this year back in March, Tel Aviv's Jewish Monkeys returned to Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic for a string of live shows, where they also performed the lead single "All the Great Things" from their forthcoming third full-length "Catastrophic Life".
It just so happened that they decided to record their kickoff concert at the state theatre of Mainz and turn their performance of "All the Great Things" into an official live video. Recently released [...]
Phosphenes
Back in May, the young Berlin/Potsdam-based nine-piece Wanubalé (Swahili for "Brothers") dropped a sizzling two-track EP on Agogo Records, which was right down our alley. The same two tracks now feature on their brand new eight-track debut album "Phosphenes", recorded in the Jazzanova Studios alongside Axel Reinemer. And so the musical circle comes full turn.
Wanubalé met in school and, drawing inspiration from the Berlin's jazz and club scene, set out to [...]