أحمد [Ahmed]
“INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY CONCERT”

Our guest for this year’s International Jazz Day concert is أحمد [AHMED], a group founded under the leadership and vision of pianist Pat Thomas, a key figure in the British free improvisation scene and a close collaborator of Derek Bailey, Tony Oxley and Evan Parker.

Pat Thomas, Antonin Gerbal, Joel Grip, and Seymour Wright set out to revive the compositions of Ahmed Abdul-Malik, a bassist and oud player who performed alongside Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, and Johnny Griffin and was among the first musicians to introduce non-Western musical elements into jazz in the late 1950s. To date, the group has released five albums, all centered around Abdul-Malik’s music. These recordings offer a thrilling musical experience, built upon weighty rhythms rooted in a profound yet overlooked understanding of jazz history, enriched with minimal and endlessly repetitive elements, and adorned with distinctive syncopations. Their musical approach reinterprets Abdul-Malik’s synthesis-oriented vision, shaping it into a new jazz design for the 21st century.

Having performed at prestigious festivals such as the London Jazz Festival and Big Ears, the group released their latest album, “Wood Blues”, in 2024, which was named Album of the Year by The Wire. This performance, full of surprises, will also be broadcast live on Joy Jazz and Borusan Klasik radios.