Ahmed [Ahmed]: Hearing Review (Quiz) – A wild musical act that spans the globe | jazz

IIn April 2022, British free jazz keyboardist and composer Pat Thomas was improvising with his eyes closed in the company of his Ahmed Quartet. [Ahmed] At a glue factory in Glasgow. The music is dedicated to the 1950s-1970s legacy of the late Art Blakey and Thelonious Monk, the guitarist, oud player and early world music pioneer Ahmed Abdel Malik, the inspiration for the group’s work. When Thomas came out of his trance, he was astonished to hear that an ecstatic crowd was dancing the night away around him.

He shouldn’t be surprised. Since Ahmed [Ahmed]Since their inception, their collective heat has fused abstract improvisation and groove music from around the world: Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, dub, gable, electronics, and the 1990s free improvisation of Derek Bailey, Lol Coxhill and drummer Steve Noble inspired Thomas. Saxophonist Seymour Wright absorbed the saxophone vocabulary of Evan Parker and the insights into group improvisation and avant-garde swing of AMM drummer and teacher Eddie Prevost. Eclectic partners Joel Grebe (bass) and Antonin Grebal (drums) enhance these infectious and volatile energies.

The Arabic term “samaa” loosely translates as contemplative listening to music and poetry, taken from Thomas’ perspective as a follower of Sufism, and the four tracks of this new collection demonstrate that ethos. Opening track “Ya Anas” (Oh, People) joins ghostly split-note sax sounds with beautifully curved bass figures before morphing into a pulsing piano dance and then an angry brawl, while “Ismaa” (Listen) is a drum and bass hook that develops into a hoarse free sax improvisation against upbeat, upbeat piano strings. The Guardian (Anxious) resolves the brittle, flying horn bleeps and long-note harmonies into a sweeping instrumental backing, and Farah Alaina (Joy Is Upon Us) begins with a delightfully dissonant folk dance and becomes rocketing jazz swing. The monk’s tribute to the group follows in 2026 which is an interesting possibility based on this evidence.

Also out this month

Guitarist John Scofield And a guitarist Dave Holland They’ve been regular collaborators for years, but Memories of Home (ECM) is their first duet album, sharing equally their catchy, rustic and catchy originals. Scofield’s voice-like harmonies and string-rooted enhancements on his dreamy “Meant to Be,” and Holland’s deep, enveloping tone on his sumptuously opulent swinger Mr. B (customized for Ray Brown) are highlights of a very sublime set.

Unseparated (Outside Your Head), the second release by the Canadian composer and flautist/saxophonist Anna WeberA powerful big band that she co-led with her fellow saxophone player Angela Morrisjoins the jazz, contemporary and folk enthusiasms of this innovative duo in a delicate balance between their ingenious arrangements and the brilliant improvisational ideas of their young lineup.

United Kingdom composer Mike WestbrookThe epic 1980 The Cortège session – a celebration of landmark European literature of the 20th century as well as cutting-edge jazz – reappears as the previously unreleased The Cortège Live at the BBC 1980 (Cadillac).