{"id":32503,"date":"2020-11-11T11:31:52","date_gmt":"2020-11-11T16:31:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/records\/polyhymnia-remixed\/"},"modified":"2020-11-11T11:33:45","modified_gmt":"2020-11-11T16:33:45","slug":"polyhymnia-remixed","status":"publish","type":"records","link":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/en\/records\/polyhymnia-remixed\/","title":{"rendered":"Polyhymnia Remixed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

All hail the great Yazz Ahmed, who\u2019s having a moment right now. At the end of October, the trumpetist, composer, and bandleader walked away from the 2020 Jazz FM Awards in London with not one but two chunks of transparent acrylic, for both U.K Jazz Act of the Year and Album of the Year. What earned her those trophies was the 2019 release Polyhymnia<\/em>. While this reviewer still prefers its predecessor, the incredible La Saboteuse<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, Polyhymnia<\/em> is nonetheless a stellar piece of work, successful in its ambitions (it was written, after all, for a large ensemble, not a loosely knit band). Named after the musical Greek divinity, it is, in Ahmed\u2019s words, \u201ca celebration of female courage, determination, and creativity\u201d \u2013 originally a commission for International Women\u2019s Day, each track in honour of a woman of consequence, politically or culturally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recent awards will hopefully draw more than a few new and sympathetic ears to Polyhymnia<\/em> \u2013 and to this remix EP, her first self-released effort since her 2011 debut, Finding My Way Home<\/em>. The four variations here put a fresh wind under the wings of Polyhymnia<\/em>\u2019s relatively sober and decorous music, while keeping Ahmed\u2019s luxuriant sensibility intact. The first two tracks remix salutes to scholastic icons. \u201cRuby Bridges\u201d namechecks the little girl at the eye of the American desegregation storm of 1960 (still alive and active today). Australia\u2019s DJ Plead, a key name in the hard-drum sound, adds some punch to the tough but optimistic piece. \u201cOne Girl Among Many\u201d, for Malala Yousafzai, is done up in a lovely and dramatic fashion by Indian-American producer Asmara. \u201cDeeds Not Words\u201d, which revisits an old suffragette anthem, gets a caffeinated jolt from New Zealand native Surly, no stranger to to blending jazz and juke \u2013 check out his Trip to Warsaw EP<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. Concluding the quartet of tracks in a more pacific manner is Ahmed\u2019s own remix, with Noel Langley (her co-producer on Polyhymnia<\/em>), of \u201cBarbara\u201d, her ode to venerable British saxophonist Barbara Thompson. It\u2019s a more meditative take on the material, yet like the other three numbers, a sumptuous listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n