British Council Bahrain is pleased to collaborate with the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities to present an open Jazz concert ‘’Alhaan Al Siduri’’ by Yazz Ahmed on 15th October 2016 at 8 pm in the Cultural Hall, as part of the 25th Bahrain International Music Festival and the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of relations between Bahrain and the UK.
Alan Rutt, British Council Director Bahrain said ‘We’re delighted to be able to support such an inspirational artist to take part in our Bahrain-UK 200 celebrations. Yazz’s work over the years has shown how music really can contribute to building greater knowledge and understanding. When communicating between cultures, words can only take us so far – and this is where music like Yazz’s can perhaps, better bring into being the UK-Bahrain connection, for audiences to enjoy and share together.’
Since releasing Finding My Way Home in 2011, British-Bahraini trumpet player and composer Yazz Ahmed has emerged as a distinctive voice on the UK jazz scene. She won praise as the leader of two musical ensembles, the Yazz Ahmed Quitnet quintet and Ahmed Family Hafla septet and represented Bahrain in 2012 during London’s cultural Olympiad.
Over her career, Yazz has performed with her at venues around the world and collaborated with international artists from various genres. Her musical talents and dual heritage make her a unique cultural ambassador and she has presented Bahrain and the UK in a number of high-profile cultural exchange initiatives.
Alhaan Al Siduri, composed by Yazz Ahmed, is a suite inspired by the work songs of the Bahraini pearl divers and the traditional wedding songs of the women groups of Bahrain, fused with jazz elements and electronics.
Siduri is a character mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh. She is a goddess of the Gulf that lives on an island at the edge of the sea. Her land is a garden in which the sun walks in the morning. Yazz decided to imagine that this island mentioned in the epic poem might be Bahrain, the island of two seas. The lyrics are a combination of fragments of traditional Bahraini songs, translated into English and Yazz’s own daydreams, musings on her homeland, written in this melancholy style.
This concert is free of charge and open to the public.
You can find more on: https://www.britishcouncil.bh/en/events/yazz-ahmeds-alhaan-al-siduri