Yazz Ahmed signs to Naim Records

With her next release ‘La Saboteuse’ Yazz looks set to join a pioneering group of artists such as The Comet is Coming (Leaf Label), Kamasi Washington (BRAINFEEDER), Yussef Kamaal (Brownswood) and Naim Records’ Sons Of Kemet who are flipping the jazz world on its head and breaking through to the forefront of the UK music scene with a vibrant and exciting approach to their art.

Yazz has performed with creative goliaths including Lee "Scratch" Perry and MAX ROMEO as well as touring worldwide with THESE NEW PURITANS and laying down the Flugelhorn on Radiohead’s ground-breaking ‘King of Limbs’. Her second full length release ‘La Saboteuse’ explores the creative process and the demons that can exist within. Yazz’s transformation of this into a unique blend of psychedelic Arabic jazz is intoxicating, compelling and sonically outstanding.

Lonely Table: Yazz Ahmed - Sound of '17

Tireless trumpet soloist and composer Yazz Ahmed has been making waves in the jazz world over the past few years. She has a string of collaborations, commissions and projects under her belt...what’s more, she regularly tours with her own septet, Ahmed Family Hafla, whose performance at Ronnie Scott’s - Yazz’s debut - earned her rave reviews.

In 2015, Yazz was commissioned by Tomorrow’s Warriors, with the support of PRS Women Make Music, to write a suite inspired by six influential female role models. The result, Polyhymnia, is intricate, experimental and creative - reflecting the inspirational women Yazz chose to base the music on. Polyhymnia is due to be recorded this year, after Yazz was awarded funding from the PRS For Music Foundation.

Keep your eye out for this one.

Sophie’s work explores human nature and our sensual relationship with the world we occupy. Through an exploration of her Trinidad heritage Sophie developed an appetite for native art and the mythology and symbolism encompassed within, these themes are beautifully displayed in Sophie’s unique, culturally rich and symbolic style.

“I was listening through Yazz’s album at a friend of mine’s art studio, he’s got a really bassy soundsystem in there, and we were really pumping the album. I was going through Sophie’s work and pulled up one of her pieces called ‘Solidarity in The Sisterhood’ it has a blood red background and really bold and striking imagery. I sat staring at it as the album played, completely fixated with the music and art together… Both Yazz and Sophie’s work feel consciously alive, it’s a blessing to work with them" - Charlie Curran, A&R

With La Saboteuse Naim Records will break away from the traditional model of release with the album being dropped as four chapters across streaming services in early 2017. Each chapter will have an individual cover crafted by Sophie which when combined will form the gatefold cover housing the heavyweight double LP. The vinyl and CD will be released concurrently with Chapter Four and the digital release of the full album, all landing in May 2017.

For the time being, here’s a little Apéritif of Chapter One: http://bit.ly/2gbkGkL