Hailed as one of the most influential trumpet players of her generation, Yazz Ahmed is an Ivor Novello award winning composer making sweeping epics, rich with storytelling, which depict evocative ancient worlds und mythological muses. Her focus is often set on women, and she has dedicated a piece to the thousands of lives lost in recent years by those attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea in search of a better future.

Her career is studded with collaborations with the likes of Radiohead, Arturo O’Farrill and Obongjayar as well as commissions for Blue Note Records, Adult Swim and WOMAD.  She has led her ensembles in performances across the world, playing at festivals and established venues such as the Barbican Hall or the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Yazz garnered multiple rave reviews and awards with La Saboteuse (2017) and Polyhymnia (2019), featuring her own brand of cutting-edge psychedelic-Arabic-jazz. In 2020, Downbeat Magazine named her as an artist set to shape the future of jazz over the next decade.

Yazz Ahmed’s fourth studio album, A Paradise in the Hold, dives deeper into her dual heritage, coming up with a treasure trove that draws on traditional music and stories from her childhood. The album introduces the voice into her compositional palate, with lyrics contemplating her own musings, daydreams and reflections on Bahraini folklore.