Yazz Ahmed releases back catalogue on vinyl as part of new Night Time Stories record deal
Mike Flynn
Thursday, October 10, 2024
The critically acclaimed British-Bahraini trumpeter’s debut album gets first ever viny release as part of signing to new label
The widely acclaimed British-Bahraini composer and trumpeter Yazz Ahmed has announced her signing to Night Time Stories, and as part of this new partnership, Ahmed’s back catalogue is being made available on vinyl, including her groundbreaking albums Polyhymnia and La Saboteuse, which have long been out of print. And for the first time ever, her 2011 debut album, Finding My Way Home, will be released on vinyl.
Commenting on the signing, Ahmed said: “I'm absolutely thrilled to have found a new home for my music with Night Time Stories. The care and support from the team at NTS has been second to none and they are a dream to work with. I am extremely excited about the re-releases of my back catalogue, including the vinyl premiere of my 2011 debut album, Finding My Way Home. It feels like the beginning of a very special partnership and I can’t wait to share our plans over the next few months.”
Night Time Stories founder Paul Glancy offers: “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Yazz to the Night Time Stories family. She’s a singular talent with a unique sound, multi-faceted catalogue, and one-of-a-kind artistic mind. We’re starting off by releasing her back catalogue, and we’re already working behind-the-scenes on some very exciting plans for the next 12 months and beyond. We’ve been publishing Yazz’s work for several years and see this as a natural evolution of our journey together. We can’t wait to work with Yazz, her manager Lou, and her stellar creative team to bring her vision to life.”
Ahmed has been hailed as one of the most influential trumpet players of her generation, an Ivor Novello award winning composer whose music fuses elements of her Bahraini heritage with adventurous, wide-ranging compositional ideas and her electronics laced trumpet playing. Her 2019 album, Polyhymnia, paid homage to the character of Polyhymnia, the ancient Greek Muse of music, poetry and dance: a Goddess for the arts. Yazz conceived the album as a suite of movements, each dedicated to women of outstanding qualities.
La Saboteuse (2017), her highly acclaimed psychedelic Arabic jazz album, was a project deeply rooted in the composer’s ability to intertwine traditional Arabic music with modern jazz. Finding My Way Home (2011), Yazz Ahmed’s debut album, is a collection of original compositions and improvisations, exploring the sounds and rhythms of Yazz’s Arabic heritage, revisiting memories from her early childhood in Bahrain. These are contrasted with pieces reflecting the classic British jazz from the 1950s and 60s. The first ever release of Finding My Way Home on vinyl gives the opportunity to experience the record in an entirely new light.
The vinyl reissues of Polyhymnia, La Saboteuse, and Finding My Way Home will be available for purchase in select record stores and online via Night Time Stories.
See the video of Yazz visiting the Vinyl Factory for the pressing of the albums below and for more info visit yazz-ahmed.lnk.to/backcatalogue