not a review of YAZZ AHMED - Solo 7"s Vol. 1

Why would I write a review about this? I already did it when I ordered this single back on Bandcamp Friday in May. May 2021!

Just shows what a pain in the behind it must be for any artist without Adele's name recognition to plan any release today.

Ok, I'll do a couple of lines since the original write-up was in German!

YAZZ AHMED - Solo 7"s Vol. 1 (violet vinyl 7") (2022)

Already during one of the first pressing plant delays the cover artwork of this release had been exchanged for something better. Guessing from the artist's BC page the vinyl colour probably was supposed to change into a creamy orange tone too, but maybe that wasn't possible anymore in the process. Well, who cares, the original violet is ok. Or are there different variants? I would have taken any colour anyway. It's more annoying that my copy is pretty warped, which makes a weight while playing the B side mandatory, if I don't want the needle to slip off.

That being said, I still hope that Yazz Ahmed isn't too (rightfully) frustrated by this experience, but that the title of this release, which implies the beginning of a series, will be justified anyway. The lesson here is: Please just find another manufacturer! It can't be such a hassle everytime, right?

The eleven minutes of music on this long-awaited little disc are pure bliss. "She Stands On The Shore" (still) is an alternative take  preview for the British-Bahraini jazz trumpeteer's forthcoming next album, while "One Girl" is a live improvisation on a remix of Ahmed's "Polyhymnia" song "One Girl Among Many".

Both tracks are a beautiful modern take on the spirit of fusion-era Miles Davis breezing through Arabic skies. If you dig the splendid warmth of Floating Points with the late great Pharoah Sanders as much as the electronic vibe of The Comet Is Coming - or you're just a genre-defying aficionado of heavenly melodies -, this precious little seven inch is for you.