Yazz Ahmed

Yazz Ahmed is a distinctive voice on the London jazz scene, blending trumpet, electronics, and her Bahraini heritage into what she calls “psychedelic Arabic jazz”. Performing in quartet, she continues touring A Paradise In The Hold (2025) throughout 2026/27, following acclaimed appearances at SeixalJazz and Jazz ao Centro.

Yazz Ahmed is one of the most outstanding trumpeters and composers in contemporary London jazz. Her music fuses jazz, electronics, and British-Bahraini roots, creating a singular language often described as “psychedelic Arabic jazz” — intense and hypnotic.

She made her debut in 2011 with Finding My Way Home. With La Saboteuse (2017) she gained international recognition and was named Jazz Album of the Year by The Wire. This was followed by Polyhymnia (2019), a tribute to remarkable women, which won Jazz FM Album of the Year (2020). In the same year, she received the Ivor Novello Award for Innovation and was highlighted by DownBeat as one of the 25 artists shaping the future of jazz.

She has collaborated with artists such as Radiohead, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Transglobal Underground, and Susheela Raman. In 2025, she released A Paradise In The Hold, a deep dive into the ancestral rhythms of Bahrain and a celebration of the strength of Arab women, introducing for the first time lyrics in English and Arabic.

Live, she performs in quartet and has already won over audiences in Portugal, appearing at venues and festivals such as Ciclo Mundos (Teatro da Trindade, Lisbon), PDL Jazz (Ponta Delgada), Caldas.Jazz, Theatro Circo (Braga), SeixalJazz, and Jazz ao Centro (Coimbra), consistently receiving excellent reviews from the specialist press.

PRESS QUOTES

“A Paradise In The Hold is a masterpiece, a work of tremendous sensitivity and creative perception brought to life by a musical visionary capable of pushing jazz forward and reshaping it for the 21st century.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ — AllMusic

“A fantastic journey.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐ — The Morning Star

“This record reminded me why I appreciate music… incredibly beautiful.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — Sputnik Music

“A gloriously extravagant fusion epic.” — Loud & Quiet

“Infectiously jubilant.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐ — The Guardian, Global Album of the Month

“Combines jazz and Arabic classical music with invention and elegance.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐ — MOJO

“Some of her most expansive and emotionally powerful music to date.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐ — Jazzwise

“Yazz Ahmed has created her most exquisite sonic universe yet on A Paradise In The Hold, ten tracks of magnetic, boundary-transcending jazz.” — 8/10 UNCUT

“A subtle yet piercing sense of joy.” — Clash

“One of the most promising names in global jazz.” — Público

“One of the most creative voices in jazz.” — DownBeat Magazine