Biography of Yazz Ahmed

Tipped as a star of the future by Jazzwise magazine, Yazz has played alongside a number of internationally acclaimed jazz musicians, including Toshiko Akiyoshi, Rufus Reid, Laurence Cottle, Kenny Wheeler, Mark Nightingale and the late Sir John Dankworth.

As well as running her own quintet, quartet and trio, Yazz has recorded and performed with Max Romeo, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Jack Penate, the Manic Street Preachers, Tomorrows Warriors, the Urban Soul Orchestra, the London Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Jamaica.
Yazz also plays flugelhorn on Radiohead’s album The King of Limbs and in May 2011 was featured in the filming of The King Of Limbs, Live From The Basement, which was screened worldwide during July 2011.

Yazz’s debut album, Finding My Way Home, featuring bass virtuoso, Janek Gwizdala and clarinetist, Shabaka Hutchings, was released in August 2011 on Suntara Records. The album is a collection of original compositions and improvisations, exploring the sounds and rhythms of Yasmeen’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, which was the soundtrack to her teenage years and was her gateway into improvised music.

Working on Finding My Way Home has inspired Yazz to form two new ensembles to reflect these recordings and the new compositions that have blossomed from this album. Ahmed’s new quintet had the pleasure of making their debut performance when opening the 2010 Brit Jazz Fest at Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club, London.
Subsequently the band received an array of positive reviews with Jazzwise Magazine highlighting Yazz’s flugelhorn playing and tipping her as a star of the future. Gary Crosby OBE includes Finding My Way Home in his top five releases of 2011.

Yazz’s Granddad, Terry Brown, was a successful jazz trumpet player and record producer who worked with some of the best British jazz musicians of all time, including Tubby Hayes, Ronnie Scott and the original John Dankworth Seven.

She picked up the trumpet inspired by the music and the stories that Terry shared with her.