Kuwait, British Council in collaboration with the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters are proud to introduce British / Bahraini Jazz trumpet/flugelhorn player and composer, rising star Yazz Ahmed and her quintet for the first time to the Kuwaiti society.
Yazz will be showcasing her precise, warm and atmospheric sounds that will exhibit a performance of original compositions that explore music from her Arabic heritage along with hypnotic Middle Eastern riffs and haunting melodies fused with jazz.
Her music also encloses free improvisation that will create a constant flow and an organic arc to the performance that will take the listener onto an evocative inner musical journey.
This strategic partnership between the British Council and National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters will strengthen the cultural relations between the UK and Kuwait through sound art as it will introduce a mixture of traditional music along with contemporary jazz to the Kuwaiti society.
Mais Montazar – Assistant Director partnerships said, “This year we celebrate 60 years of British Council in Kuwait. Our role has been focused on creating a platform and opportunities for young people from the UK and Kuwait to profile their work, showcase their talents and collaborate with each other on cultural activities. Yaz is a very talented artists and her music has reached millions of people across the globe. It has been a great success and a pleasure working with the NCCAL as a partner. This music performance acts as the opening sessions for a series of public cultural and arts activities that we will organize in partnership with the NCCL throughout 2015”
Calendar of Events
10 MARCH 2015 | MUSICIANS GET TOGETHER | MODERN ARTS MUSEUM | SHARQ | ARABIAN GULF STREET | 19:00
11 MARCH 2015 | YAZZ AHMED AND HER QUINTET | MODERN ARTS MUSEUM | SHARQ | ARABIAN GULF STREET | 19:00
For more information please contact:
Hisham I. Khalil | Digital and Communications Manager | Marketing | British Council
Hisham.khalil@britishcouncil.org +965 9712 0406
About Yazz Ahmed
Tipped as a rising star by Jazzwise and Time Out, Yazz Ahmed won great reviews for her debut at Ronnie Scott’s, leading her own quintet and in opening the Jazz In The Round series at the Cockpit Theatre with her vibraphone and bass trio.
In 2010 Shabaka was granted the title of BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist which allowed him to undertake numerous commissions, as well as broadcast performances on radio. These included performances with Julian Joseph, the BBC Big Band, and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
In 2012, Yazz represented Bahrain in London’s Cultural Olympiad, joining renowned musicians from the Arabian Gulf in collaboration with Trans-global Underground. This project, ‘In Transit’, was supported by the British Council and has performed in Dubai and London. Shabaka Hutchings, a saxophonist, band leader and composer, part of London’s community of younger jazz musicians as well as the city’s thriving improvised music scene.
In 2012 he was commissioned to write a piece for the BBC Concert Orchestra which included members his own group (Sons of Kemet) and electronic musicians Leafcutter John and Jason Singh. This concert was received to critical praise at the South Bank's Queen Elizabeth Hall.
In July 2013 Shabaka was commissioned by Leasowes Bank Music Festival to write a piece for clarinet and string quartet. He performed this piece with the Ligeti String Quartet to rave reviews. Shabaka was nominated for Jazz Musician of the Year 2013 in the Parliamentary Jazz Awards
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide.
We work in more than 100 countries and our 7000 staff – including 2000 teachers – work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year by teaching English, sharing the Arts and delivering education and society programmes.
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The British Council has operated in Kuwait since 1955 and is located in Mansouriya.
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