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Polyhymnia (album)

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Polyhymnia
Studio album by
Released11 October 2019
RecordedAugust 2016–2019[1]
StudioSession Corner (Luton)
Valby Station (Copenhagen)
Virkeligheden Studio (Copenhagen)
Snap Studios (London)
Tatami Studios
GenreJazz[2]
Length56:59
LabelRopeadope
Producer
Yazz Ahmed chronology
La Saboteuse Remixed
(2018)
Polyhymnia
(2019)

Polyhymnia is the third studio album by British-Bahraini musician Yazz Ahmed. It was released on 11 October 2019 through Ropeadope Records.

Described by Ahmed as a "celebration of female courage, determination and creativity", Polyhymnia is a concept album whose six tracks are all dedicated to a particular female activist or collective.[3] The album's title refers to Polyhymnia, the ancient Greek Muse of music.[4]

Background

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The material on Polyhymnia started life in 2015 as an extended piece commissioned by jazz education and artist development organization Tomorrow's Warriors.[4][5] Each movement of this work was meant to correspond to an important figure in women's history.[4] The finished album features an "evolved and expanded" version of the original work, incorporating numerous new elements and additional musicians.[4]

Reception

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Polyhymnia received positive reviews from critics. DownBeat awarded the album four stars out of five, stating the album "further establishes [Ahmed] as one of the more creative new voices in jazz" after the critical success of her previous album, La Saboteuse (2017).[3] Jazzwise included the album in their list of the best jazz albums of 2019, describing its music as "rich, sonorous, big, melodic, put[ting] a kick in your heels and a smile on your face".[5]

Track listing

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All tracks composed and arranged by Yazz Ahmed.

Polyhymnia
No.TitleLength
1."Lahan al-Mansour"9:57
2."Ruby Bridges"9:42
3."One Girl Among Many"9:32
4."2857"8:30
5."Deeds Not Words"8:52
6."Barbara"10:24
Total length:56:59

Note: "One Girl Among Many" features extracts from the 2013 United Nations speech by Malala Yousafzai.

References

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  1. ^ Edwards, Tina (11 October 2019). Polyhymnia (liner notes).
  2. ^ May, Chris (15 December 2019). "Yazz Ahmed: Polyhymnia". All About Jazz. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  3. ^ a b de Barros, Paul (December 2019). "Yazz Ahmed – Polyhymnia". Downbeat. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d Ahmed, Yazz. "Polyhymnia". Yazz Ahmed. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b Flynn, Mike (21 November 2019). "Top 20 Jazz Albums of 2019". Jazzwise. Retrieved 4 August 2023.