Yazz Ahmed is one of the most remarkable jazz trumpet player and composer of her generation and new music from her is always great news. Following 2019’s Polyhymnia, the British-Bahraini celebrated musician has announced its much anticipated follow-up, A Paradise In The Hold. On it, Ahmed draws inspiration from traditional music and childhood memories of Bahrain, and her compositions are even more deeply entwined with her dual heritage than before. “A thread in my work has been searching for, establishing and, now, finally embracing and celebrating my cultural identity,” Ahmed says. “If my first album, 2011’s Finding My Way Home, represents the first steps on this path then with A Paradise In The Hold, I’ve arrived at a deeper understanding of how my British and Bahraini heritage can co-exist, in personal as well as musical terms.”

Writing for voice for the first time, she found inspiration in Bahraini wedding poems and the yearning songs of the pearl divers to write lyrics, and collaborated with a brilliant cast of singers including Brigitte Beraha, Natacha Atlas, Randolph Matthews and Alba Nacinovich.

Through this exploration into her heritage, and employing a rich tapestry of musical influences, the forthcoming A Paradise In The Hold stands as a powerful tribute to the beauty of Bahraini culture. “It’s another step in my evolution of making music,” says Ahmed. “There’s so much beauty in Bahraini music. I hope this album gives people a flavour of how vibrant its culture is.”

A Paradise In The Hold will see the light of day on February 28th through Night Time Stories and ahead of it Ahmed is enticing us with the magnificent and spellbinding title track, clocking in at 10 minutes. The single comes with an accompanying video made by Charlie Campion and Iman Ahmed. Watch it below.