Dubbed the ‘High Priestess of Psychedelic Arabic Jazz,’ Yazz Ahmed (born in 1983) is a British-Bahraini trumpet player and composer. Her music pays homage to her North African heritage, seamlessly blending jazz with electronic sounds and world music. Besides writing her own material, Ahmed has collaborated as a guest soloist with a wide array of world-famous artists, such as Radiohead, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, and These New Puritans. Her first album Finding My Way Home (2011), received great reviews and won the attention of Jazzwise Magazine. Her next release, La Saboteuse, came out in 2017 via Naim Records. The LP was named Jazz Album of the Year by The Wire magazine and made it to number 18 on Bandcamp’s Top 100 Albums. In 2018, she released La Saboteuse Remixed, a collection of remixes in collaboration with DJs Hector Plimmer, DJ Khalab, and Blacksea Não Maya. The single “A Shoal of Souls,” also released that year, was featured in an advertising campaign for a new smartphone. Polyhymnia, Ahmed’s third full-length release, saw the light of day in 2019. The album explores the subject of female empowerment and was recorded as a tribute to famous women in history. Released through Ropeadope Records, Polyhymnia also received the remix treatment in 2020. In the meantime, the live album When We Were Live was released in June 2020. Back after the Covid-19 pandemic, Yazz Ahmed recorded A Paradise in the Hold, featuring collaborations from a diverse ensemble of musicians and vocalists, including Natacha Atlas and Jason Singh. In 2026, she returned with the Shinrin-Yoku EP, featuring Noel Langley, Samuel Hällkvist and Josh Blackmore.
