14 Oct Bluecomotive Talks: Interview with Yazz Ahmed
«I realised that this music felt different to me, more authentic»
Eager to return to Portuguese stages — to share stories of mermaids, siren songs, tales of pearl divers, storms, festive music and dance — trumpeter and composer Yazz Ahmed speaks to us about her new album, “A Paradise in the Hold”. These songs, which capture the sounds and memories of her childhood in Bahrain, will be performed live on October 16 at Jazz ao Centro (Coimbra) and the following day at Seixal Jazz.
You’ve said that this new album is a reflection of how your identity has been evolving. For those connecting with your work and sound for the first time, how would you describe that evolution?
I first started learning trumpet in the western classical tradition but soon moved on to investigating and studying American jazz, completing my Masters degree in 2006. However, performing this music didn’t feel authentic to me and I wasn’t really fulfilled creatively. During this time I had kept my Bahraini heritage hidden and unexplored from a musical point of view. Then in 2008 I had a revelation when I discovered the album Blue Camel by Rabih Abou-Khalil, the Lebanese oud player. It blended jazz sensibility with Arabic scales and rhythms and it featured my absolute favourite trumpet player, Kenny Wheeler. This felt like a lightbulb moment as I realised that this music felt different to me, more authentic, and I decided to start experimenting on incorporating Arabic scales and rhythms into the music I was composing. My debut album, Finding My Home, 2011, contains some of these pieces and is the embarkation point of the voyage I’ve been on for the last 15 years. Over the last 10 years I’ve also added other elements into the palate of my compositional tools, such as live electronics, manipulated field recordings and a kind of wild free energy contrasting with the more crafted compositional techniques that I’ve always loved.
The title of your album, A Paradise in the Hold, is intriguing. What imagery or ideas does it evoke for you, and how does it connect to the music?
The title comes from the song, My Ship, by Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin. The opening lines of the lyric chime with one of the main influences I am exploring on the album, namely the songs sung by Bahraini pearl divers which often describe their heroic journeys returning home with a precious cargo.
My ship has sails that are made of silk,
The decks are trimmed with gold,
And of jam and spice there’s a paradise in the hold.
My ship’s aglow with a million pearls…
Your music has often traced the path of discovering and embracing your cultural identity. With these new compositions, inspired by a journey to your Bahraini origins, do you feel that connection has deepened — that the music carries an even stronger sense of home?
Yes, this is a much more personal project for me, whereas I started my exploration of Arabic music in an academic way this album really resonates with me as it captures the sounds and memories of my childhood. There is even a track which features my father and my aunties ululating and chatting during a recording session at my family home in Bahrain.
You’ve been called “The High Priestess of Arab Psychedelic Jazz”: what a powerful and evocative title. How do you feel about that title — is it a weight, a compliment, or perhaps both?
It was actually coined in a review by a journalist of a concert I gave in Algeria, so I did take it as a compliment or a vote of approval for the music I am presenting and have stuck with that description of the genre I’ve been developing over the years. And, as a naturally shy person, it has been quite useful to adopt that character’s name as a stage persona when I’m performing, rather than be governed by my inner critic, La Saboteuse.
As you return to the Portuguese stages, what kind of energy, stories, or emotions are you hoping to share with the audience this time?
I’ve always felt very welcome in Portugal and I get the feeling that the audiences have a strong connection with the music, as if they understand the emotions behind what I have written. People have identified that one of the themes I return to in my music is the sea and the night time, perhaps as a country by the ocean there is something that draws them to my music. I’m really looking forward to my return and sharing stories of mermaids, sirens, tales of the pearl fishers, stormy weather and celebratory songs and dances.
MORE INFORMATION:
16 OCT
COIMBRA | JAZZ AO CENTRO
CONVENTO SÃO FRANCISCO
21:30
Tickets: 10,00 €
17 OCT
SEIXAL | SEIXAL JAZZ
FÓRUM CULTURAL
22:00
Tickets: 12,00 €
