Polyhymnia - Digital Booklet.
POLYHYMNIA
Hello friends,
I’m so delighted to present this brand new pressing of Polyhymnia and want to thank the team at Night Time Stories for making this possible.
The album has been recut by the experts at The Vinyl Factory and I hope you’ll all enjoy the superior sonic detail, depth and clarity they have achieved.
When re-reading through the text of the original booklet for this edition I couldn’t help noticing the huge number of contributors to the recording project. These include 25 musicians and a host of brilliant sound engineers alongside Sophie, Charlie and Emily on the design front. I’m so grateful to everybody that helped to bring this record to you but also need to thank Emily Jones (aka Echo Juliet) who kick started the live work with an album preview at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival in May 2019.
We followed this concert with a national tour, supported by Help Musicians UK and Arts Council England, which was interrupted by the global pandemic in 2020. Our concert at the Sage Gateshead, originally scheduled for March 2020 was postponed, due to the national lockdown. It eventually took place in November that year, but as a live stream only event, which was quite a surreal experience.
I think this tour was one of the contributing factors which led to Polyhymnia being named Jazz Album of the Year, and myself receiving the Jazz Act of the Year, at the Jazz FM award ceremony at a socially distanced event, live-streamed from Ronnie Scott’s in October 2020.
What strange times we’ve lived through.
I hope you enjoy reading the booklet, which has been reconfigured for digital by my great friend, the artistic visionary, Charlie Campion, who’s been with me on my journey since 2016 when he signed me to Naim Records. The original text which follows was all relevant in 2019 when it was written, however since that time we sadly said goodbye to Barbara Thompson, who lost her brave battle with Parkinson’s in 2022. She is greatly missed.
POLYHYMNIA
the Muse of sacred poetry, sacred hymn, dance and eloquence She of Many Hymns.
"It's important for music to document, and be documented by, as many different narrators as possible - storytellers, whose tales are so varied that we'll identity with some and be completely unfamiliar with others; the latter is a blessing worth recognising.
Music, especially jazz, is a reflection of society. It holds up a mirror, showing us who we are and what we believe in. It's a creative artefact that records more than just a moment in time.
If Polyhymnia, in Greek mythology, is the muse of sacred poetry, hymn, dance and eloquence, then it's a fitting title for Yazz Ahmed's third album; one which is driven by six female protagonists, who have each inspired a track housed in this very sleeve. They are courageous women and collectives: Haifaa Al-Mansour, Saudi Arabia's first female film director; saxophonist, Barbara Thompson; The Suffragettes and three activists; Ruby Bridges, Rosa Parks and Malala Yousafzai. Each of them is a muse to a composition on Polyhymnia, artefacts that herstoricise heroic truths.
Ahmed, with ambition and vision, has created an ode to female determination and courage. Twenty-five of the UK's finest jazz musicians have contributed to Polyhymnia, each lending their unique creativity and personality to the performance of Ahmed's suite. Check out the personnel list on this record and discover their individual projects - it's a very rewarding activity.
If Polyhymnia inspires you, if Ahmed's music moves you, the struggles of the protagonists affect you and the illustrations of Sophie Bass spark you - then use it. Use these tracks as starting points for activism, creative side-hustles, or as cues for the kind of chats that we don't have with each other often enough. Swim in this album and be proactive as the momentum hits you. We thrive from making and doing stuff - it reminds us, and others, how human we are. In these bizarre times, inspiration is a brilliant thing."
TINA EDWARDS
BROADCASTER, MUSIC JOURNALIST AND DJ
Yazz Ahmed
Yazz Ahmed is a British-Bahraini trumpet player and composer. Through her music, she seeks to blur the lines between jazz, Arabic folk and electronic sound design, bringing together the sounds of her mixed heritage in what has been described as 'psychedelic Arabic jazz, intoxicating and compelling'. Already established at the centre of London's dynamic new jazz scene, her second album, La Saboteuse, made a global impact. It clocked up multiple rave reviews, making many cross-genre 'best of 2017' lists around the world, including Jazz Album of the Year in the Wire Magazine. It has recently been recognised as one of the albums of the decade:
"for sheer, unconquered beauty, there are few albums of any genre that reach these heady heights. Ahmed, in diving deep within herself, comes back up for air with a mysterious, wondrous artefact humming in her hands." the2010s.net
This album is a celebration of female courage, determination and creativity.
In 2015, the Tomorrow's Warriors commissioned me to write an extended work, to be performed by members of their Nu Civilisation Orchestra, for a concert at the Women of the World Festival, in London's Southbank Centre, on International Women's Day.
Whilst gathering ideas for my composition, I came across the character of Polyhymnia, the ancient Greek Muse of music, poetry and dance: a Goddess for the arts. Perhaps inspired by her, I conceived the form of a suite of movements, each dedicated to women of outstanding qualities, role models, with whom I felt a strong connection. Whereas La Saboteuse, the embodiment of my inner-destroyer and the catalyst for the creation of my last album, could be viewed as my anti-muse, maybe Polyhymnia herself became my Muse, inspiring an intense period of creativity, which resulted in the six pieces on this album.
Since its conception, composed and arranged over the six weeks leading up to the first rehearsal for the premiere, the music has evolved and expanded. During the recording process I began incorporating new elements and drawing on a wider pool of artists, including members of my own Hafla band, alongside some of my favourite musicians working on the London scene.
By sharing my musical response to the stories and achievements of these exceptional women, and celebrating the creativity and talents of my co-contributors, I hope to inspire others, in the words of Malala, "to be brave, to embrace the strength within themselves and realise their full potential".
Lahan Al-Mansour
DEDICATED TO HAIFAA AL-MANSOUR - SAUDI ARABIA'S FIRST FEMALE FILM DIRECTOR.
Born in Saudi Arabia in 1974, Haifaa Al-Mansour started filmmaking as a hobby, for self expression and to find her voice. This led to the creation of three short films and a documentary, examining themes of being a woman in a conservative environment. This topic was explored again in her debut feature film, Wadjda, which she both wrote and directed. While shooting on location in Riyadh, she was obliged to hide in a van and communicate with her crew via walkie-talkie, so as not to violate strict rules regarding women in public spaces. Wadjda was selected as Saudi Arabia's first entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. As a pioneering female filmmaker, Al-Mansour has said that she did not intend to focus on women's issues, but found them too important not to discuss. She has received both criticism and hate mail for her discussion of taboo topics, but also support for creating dialogue around these issues. Through her work, Al-Mansour wishes to empower women and girls, as well as to use the arts as a "gentle way to catalyse a change."
"THIS IS AN IMAGE OF FREEDOM, OF REBELLION, OF SPIRIT. LOOKING TO THE HEAVENS AND DREAMING OF A LIFE UNBOUND."
SOPHIE BASS
YAZZ AHMED:
I was searching for DVDs, to help me improve my Arabic, when I came across the award winning 2012 film, Wadjda. I was intrigued to discover that its director was a Saudi woman. The film enchanted me. Its depictions of everyday family life, warm Arabic hospitality, humour, culture, traditions and contradictions, all had echoes of my childhood in Bahrain, where I too would sneak out of the house to ride my BMX in the desert. Learning how Al-Mansour fought to bring her vision to the world, of her drive and determination to find her own voice, to express her creativity, challenging the accepted norms, refusing to be constrained and finding ways to work that pushed against the traditional roles of women, has been a great inspiration to me. Lahan Al-Mansour, a continuation of my experimentation with elements of Arabic music, opens with an invocation of Polyhymnia, a call to creativity that cannot be ignored.
"BICYCLES REPRESENT A LOT, FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT, FOR ONE. BEING IN CHARGE OF YOUR DESTINY. WHEN BICYCLES WERE INTRODUCED IN THE WEST, WOMEN'S CLOTHING CHANGED. THE BICYCLE CARRIES A LOT OF MEANING, BUT IT CARRIES IT GENTLY."
HAIFAA AL-MANSOUR
Improvisations: Invocation to Polyhymnia; flugelhorn - Yazz Ahmed; electric violin - Johanna Burnheart; high guitars - Samuel Hällkvist; guitar drone - Shirley Tetteh; Fender Rhodes - Noel Langley; bass guitar - Charlie Pyne; drums - Sophie Alloway. Fender Rhodes (solo transition 03:24 - 03:51) - Sarah Tandy; Fender Rhodes (solo response & interaction 03:51 - 06:30) - Alcyona Mick; soprano sax solo - Tori Freestone; cosmic alto sax interlude (04:56 - 05:46) - Camilla George; trumpet solo - Yazz Ahmed.
Ensemble: Helena Kay - alto sax; Tori Freestone - alto flute & tenor sax; Gemma Moore - baritone sax; Becca Toft & Alex Ridout - trumpet; Yazz Ahmed - trumpet, flugelhorn & handclaps; Carol Jarvis - trombone; Samuel Hällkvist - guitars; Ralph Wyld - vibraphone; Alcyona Mick - Fender Rhodes; Charlie Pyne - bass guitar; Corrina Silvester - percussion & handclaps; Sophie Alloway - drums.
Ruby Bridges
DEDICATED TO RUBY BRIDGES - CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST.
Born in Mississippi in 1954, Ruby Bridges and her family moved to Louisiana when she was four. At the age of six, Bridges was invited by the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) to be volunteered by her parents to participate in the integration of the New Orleans school system. Bridges was the first and only African-American child to enter the William Frantz Elementary School in 1960. Due to the angry crowds gathered outside, four Federal Marshalls escorted Bridges and her mother to school. Upon entering, all the white parents removed their children from school and all but one teacher walked out, refusing to teach in a school that allowed black children to enrol. For the following year, separated from the rest of the students, Bridges was taught alone by Barbara Henry, a teacher from Boston. Still, every morning as she walked to school, one woman threatened to poison her and another held up a coffin with a black baby doll in it. Ruby Bridges-Hall is now the chair of the Ruby Bridges Foundation, which promotes "the values of tolerance, respect and appreciation of all differences", and founded the Ruby Bridges School of Social Justice and Community Service.
"SHE MOVES THROUGH THE MACABRE CARNIVAL, THIS FRENZY OF IGNORANCE AND FEAR, PAST THE GATEKEEPERS OF HELL - THE WOMEN WHO GREETED HER AT THE SCHOOL GATES WITH A BLACK DOLL IN A COFFIN, HER INNOCENCE SHINING IN THE DARKNESS."
SOPHIE BASS
YAZZ AHMED:
I first read about Ruby Bridges in a Facebook post, shared from a website called A Mighty Girl, 'a resource for those dedicated to raising smart, confident, and courageous girls’. It was impossible to be unmoved by her story and in particular the shocking and iconic images of her being escorted into school, flanked by US Marshalls. The contrast between her calm composure and the ugliness of the braying mob of parents and protesters shines through. As a six-year-old, with no knowledge of the political tensions, she assumed all the noise of the animated crowds was just part of a Mardi Gras parade. I wanted to write a piece invoking the spirit of a New Orleans carnival, with a simple melody, conveying the innocent, pure viewpoint of a child, contrasted with harmonic dissonance, carrying an undercurrent of menace. Ruby Bridges is my homage to the power of innocence to conquer evil.
"EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US IS BORN WITH A CLEAN HEART. OUR BABIES KNOW NOTHING ABOUT HATE OR RACISM. BUT SOON THEY BEGIN TO LEARN - AND ONLY FROM US. WE KEEP RACISM ALIVE. WE PASS IT ON TO OUR CHILDREN. WE OWE IT TO OUR CHILDREN TO HELP THEM KEEP THEIR CLEAN START.”
RUBY BRIDGES
Improvisations: tenor sax solo - Tori Freestone; flugelhorn solo - Yazz Ahmed; piano solo - Alcyona Mick; drum solo - Sophie Alloway.
Ensemble: Helena Kay - alto sax; Tori Freestone - tenor sax; Gemma Moore - baritone sax; Yazz Ahmed - trumpets & flugelhorn; Noel Langley - trumpet & flugelhorn; Carol Jarvis - trombone; Samuel Hällkvist - guitars; Alcyona Mick - piano; Charlie Pyne - double bass; Corrina Silvester - percussion (including second-line intro); Sophie Alloway - drums; Becca Toft - additional trumpet; Shirley Tetteh - wah-wah guitar.
One Girl Among Many
DEDICATED TO MALALA YOUSAFZAI - ADVOCATE FOR FEMALE EDUCATION.
Malala Yousafzai was born in Pakistan in 1997. In 2009 she wrote a blog for BBC Urdu about her life during the Taliban occupation, The Diary of a Pakistani Schoolgirl. The following year, when the Pakistani military started to intervene in the region, she became the subject of a New York Times documentary recording her experience. This led to Yousafzai gaining more of a platform, which she utilised to speak out against the Taliban regime, including their closing of girls' schools during the occupation. Whilst on her way home from taking an exam in 2012, a Taliban gunman shot Yousafzai and two other girls in an assassination attempt. Yousafzai received a gunshot wound to the head and once stable enough, travelled to England for further treatment. In England, she founded The Malala Fund and co-authored the book I Am Malala. In 2014, aged just 17, she became the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2017 Malala began her degree course at the University of Oxford, to study philosophy, politics and economics.
"ONE YOUNG WOMAN IS A LIGHT REFUSING TO BE DIMMED. SHE IS FORGIVENESS AND KINDNESS, PAVING A WAY FOR YOUTH TO FLOURISH. LIKE A FOREST OF GORGEOUS BRIGHT BLOOMS, CHILDREN GROW WITH LOVE, RESPECT AND KNOWLEDGE."
SOPHIE BASS
YAZZ AHMED:
Whilst researching for my commission, I discovered the powerful and moving speech Malala gave on her 16th birthday in 2013, addressing the United Nations Youth Assembly. Her courage, her wisdom and the clarity of vision in her powerful advocacy of the right of all people to education, even those who had attacked her, was remarkable on every level. I was moved to tears by her courage, her eloquence and the depth of her forgiveness. Malala's speaking voice has both a natural rhythm and a curiously musical quality to its cadences. I took this as inspiration for my composition, by creating melody lines based on fragments of her speech, choosing the sentences and phrases that impacted on me the most. Framed by two improvised piano meditations, One Girl Among Many is both a call to action and a hymn to the universal human thirst for knowledge, in gratitude for the lessons Malala teaches us through her words and actions.
"I RAISE UP MY VOICE, NOT SO I CAN SHOUT BUT SO THAT THOSE WITHOUT A VOICE CAN BE HEARD... WE CANNOT SUCCEED WHEN HALF OF US ARE HELD BACK."
MALALA YOUSAFZAI
Improvisations: piano introduction - Alcyona Mick; flugelhorn solo - Yazz Ahmed; piano coda - Sarah Tandy.
Ensemble: Helena Kay - alto sax & voice; Tori Freestone - tenor sax; Josie Simmons - baritone sax & voice; Gemma Moore - baritone sax; Yazz Ahmed - trumpets, flugelhorns & voice; Alex Ridout - trumpet; Carol Jarvis - trombone & voice; Samuel Hällkvist - guitars; Alcyona Mick - piano & Fender Rhodes; Charlie Pyne - double bass & voice; Corrina Silvester - percussion & voice; Sophie Alloway - drums & voice; Camilla George - alto sax (solo melody line) & voice; Shirley Tetteh - additional guitar textures & voice; Sarah Tandy - additional piano & voice; Johanna Burnheart, Nubya Garcia, Sheila Maurice-Grey, Becca Toft, Rosie Turton & Noel Langley - voice.
2857
DEDICATED TO ROSA PARKS - CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST.
Rosa Parks was always an activist. In 1943 she joined the Montgomery Alabama chapter of the NAACP, becoming its secretary. In November 1955, four days after the brutal murder of Emmett Till, a young black man who was killed after allegedly flirting with a white woman, Parks was on a bus, which was segregated under Jim Crow law. She was instructed to give up her seat to allow white passengers to sit down. Parks refused, later saying, "I thought of Emmett Till and I just couldn't go back." Parks was arrested, the NAACP filed a court challenge, and the black community participated in a year-long boycott of Montgomery buses, which eventually forced the city to repeal the laws requiring segregation. Parks became a civil rights icon and went on to work with leaders of the movement such as Martin Luther King. She continued to be a strong activist for the rest of her life, working for the government, freeing political prisoners, creating foundations, serving on boards and publishing two books. The United States Congress has recognised Rosa Parks as, 'the mother of the freedom movement'.
"SHE IS THE STRONG QUIET OAK ROOTED FIRMLY IN THE GROUND, IN HER CONVICTIONS, IN HER RIGHTFUL WILL TO STAY PUT, TO NOT BE MOVED. SNAKES WRAP AROUND HER ROOTS TRYING TO PULL HER APART. A CHORUS OF WOMEN RAISES THEIR HANDS TO HER IN GRATITUDE. A COSMIC STORM BREWS BEHIND HER."
SOPHIE BASS
YAZZ AHMED:
I had been studying the music score for O King, the 1968 composition by Luciano Berio, dedicated to Martin Luther King. Alongside a radio documentary marking the 50th anniversary of the 'I Have a Dream' speech, on the BBC website, I found a programme called Freedom in America, which explored the events that led to Rosa Parks changing the course of American history. Her refusal to tolerate injustice sparked a movement for equality, the fight for which continues around the world to this day. My composition is based on the number of the bus, 2857, on which she famously made her protest. That number is represented both metrically and melodically in the structure. It's a piece of two halves, the first expressing the quiet dignity of her action, the second, the storm of change to come. I have used mathematics as a compositional tool before, but never feel constrained by any rules I may set myself, allowing the music to find its own course once the process has begun. I like to leave room for expression and improvisation, here creating space for people to let off steam and express a little justifiable rage.
"STAND FOR SOMETHING OR YOU WILL FALL FOR ANYTHING. TODAY'S MIGHTY OAK IS YESTERDAY'S NUT THAT HELD ITS GROUND."
ROSA PARKS
Improvisations: tenor sax solo cadenza - Tori Freestone.
Collective wild interlude: alto sax - Helena Kay; tenor sax - Nubya Garcia; flugelhorn & Kaoss Pad - Yazz Ahmed; grunge guitar - Shirley Tetteh; high guitar - Samuel Hällkvist; drums - Sophie Alloway; Tom Jenkins - additional synth programming.
Trumpet & Kaoss Pad solo - Yazz Ahmed.
Ensemble: Johanna Burnheart - electric violin; Helena Kay - alto sax; Tori Freestone - tenor sax; Josie Simmons - baritone sax; Yazz Ahmed - trumpets, flugelhorn & Kaoss Pad; Noel Langley - trumpets & flugelhorn; Carol Jarvis - trombone & bass trombone; Ralph Wyld - vibraphone; Samuel Hällkvist - guitars; Alcyona Mick - piano; Naadia Sheriff - additional piano (geometric motif); Charlie Pyne - double bass; Corrina Silvester - percussion; Sophie Alloway - drums; Camilla George, additional alto sax; Nubya Garcia - additional tenor sax; Gemma Moore - additional baritone sax; Becca Toft & Chloë Abbott - additional trumpets; Rosie Turton - additional trombone & solo trombone melody line; Shirley Tetteh - additional guitar textures.
Deeds not Words
DEDICATED TO THE SUFFRAGETTES.
The Suffragettes was the name adopted by the members of the Women's Social and Political Union, which was founded by Emmeline Pankhurst and operated in early 20th Century Britain. In their pursuit of the right to vote, these women protested, caused civil disobedience; refusing to pay taxes, interrupting political meetings, chaining themselves to Buckingham Palace and sailing boats up the Thames to heckle politicians with megaphones. They sometimes resorted to extreme measures; allegedly smashing all the windows on Oxford St, fire bombing churches and politician's homes, going on hunger strikes in prison and infamously Emily Wilding Davidson was killed, attempting to pin a rosette to the King's horse at the 1913 Derby. The combination of the Suffrage movement, as well as the work done by women during the Great War, led to the passing of the Representation of the People Act in 1918, giving some women the vote.
"THIS ONE IS FOR THE MIGHTY SUFFRAGETTES, A FORCE OF NATURE, A GREAT WAVE, LIKE AN OCEAN GATHERING PACE, ROLLING INTO A TSUNAMI. WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER, AN ARMY MARCHING TOWARD THE LIGHT, TOWARDS EQUALITY."
SOPHIE BASS
YAZZ AHMED:
The Suffragette movement, those Victorian ladies in their petticoats, fuelled by tea and cakes, became the most unlikely of freedom fighters. Their motto, Deeds Not Words, points to the fact that they were prepared to take sometimes drastic action to achieve their aims. My grandmother always told me, "women fought for this right, so you must always use your vote”. Most of the material in this piece stems from my reworking of the Suffragettes’ protest song, Shoulder to Shoulder. This is one of the anthems they used to sing, with words set to the tune of an old battle hymn, The March of the Men of Harlech. Just as they would adapt something familiar to convey their message, l've added jazz harmony, alongside Arabic scales and rhythms, to the original melodic lines, creating something personal to me. I wanted to give the sense of single voices joining together, spreading an idea and becoming a powerful movement. Deeds Not Words starts with a rumbling free-improvisation from Corrina and Sophie, the weight of years of oppression building to a cry for freedom and equality.
"TRUST IN GOD: SHE WILL PROVIDE."
EMMELINE PANKHURST
Improvisations: percussion & drum duet - Corrina Silvester & Sophie Alloway. Four-way conversation: baritone sax - Josie Simmons; trumpet & Kaoss Pad - Yazz Ahmed; guitar - Samuel Hällkvist; vibraphone - Ralph Wyld.
Ensemble: Helena Kay - alto sax; Tori Freestone - tenor sax; Josie Simmons - baritone sax; Noel Langley - trumpet; Alex Ridout - trumpet; Yazz Ahmed - trumpet & flugelhorn; Carol Jarvis - trombone: Samuel Hällkvist - guitars; Ralph Wyld - vibraphone: Alcyona Mick - Fender Rhodes; Charlie Pyne - bass guitar; Corrina Silvester - percussion; Sophie Alloway - drums; Gemma Moore - additional baritone sax; Sarah Tandy - additional Fender Rhodes textures.
Barbara
DEDICATED TO BARBARA THOMPSON - SAXOPHONIST, BANDLEADER AND COMPOSER.
In 1963, whilst at secretarial school, Barbara Thompson decided to start playing the saxophone in her spare time. She went on to become one of the U.K.'s leading saxophonists, bandleaders and composers and was awarded an MBE for services to music in 1996. Thompson had studied piano and clarinet during her time at Queens College then in 1964 was given a grant for a performers course at the Royal College of music. That same year, Thompson was asked to take the lead alto chair in The New Jazz Orchestra. A couple of years later, an unpleasant experience as part of an on-stage band for a musical, set her on the path of composing and becoming a jazz soloist. A founder member of the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble, Barbara also led her own bands, Jubiaba, Paraphernalia and her big band, Moving Parts, touring extensively in Europe and regularly performing to arena sized crowds. In 1997, Thompson was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Despite this painful and restrictive condition, she continued to tour and perform until 2015. Thompson still continues to compose, viewing it as part of the treatment and management of her illness.
"THIS IS AN IMAGE OF JOY, THE JOY OF LOVE, OF ART, OF MUSIC. PAIN IS HER SHADOW, BUT SHE STAYS DANCING. NEW LIFE AND ENERGY BLOOM FROM HER, FERTILE FLOWERS BURSTING OPEN AS SHE CREATES HER MUSIC."
SOPHIE BASS
YAZZ AHMED:
Like many of the women celebrated in this suite, Barbara is an accidental hero. Like Haifaa Al-Mansour, she felt the call to creativity that must be answered, simply refusing to give up. To me she is a true role model, a pioneering jazz musician, bandleader and composer, who found her own voice and carved out a successful career spanning more than fifty years. I first became aware of Barbara through Playing Against Time, the moving documentary from 2012 about her battle to keep performing during her struggle with Parkinson's disease. One aspect that touched me deeply was the tireless love and devotion of her husband, Jon Hiseman, the legendary drummer, who sadly passed away in 2018. I see echoes in my relationship with Noel, my partner, producer, emotional supporter and chief ally in my battle with 'La Saboteuse’. This tribute to Barbara reflects my interest in minimalism and blends joyful melodic material with poly-rhythmic motifs, shared across all the instruments of the band. It builds to a triumphant climax in C major, a celebration of human courage and an ode to Polyhymnia.
"I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT IT'S DIFFICULT FOR A WOMAN... IF SHE WANTS TO DO IT, SHE CAN."
BARBARA THOMPSON
Improvisations: flugelhorn solo - Yazz Ahmed; guitar solo - Shirley Tetteh; multi-tracked alto sax solo - Helena Kay; bass clarinet solo - George Crowley.
Ensemble: Johanna Burnheart - electric violins; George Crowley - bass clarinet; Helena Kay - alto sax: Tori Freestone - tenor sax: Josie Simmons - baritone sax; Noel Langley - trumpet & flugelhorn; Alex Ridout - trumpet; Yazz Ahmed - trumpet & flugelhorn; Becca Toft - trumpet; Carol Jarvis - trombone: Samuel Hällkvist - guitars; Ralph Wyld - vibraphone & glockenspiel; Alcyona Mick - Fender Rhodes; Charlie Pyne - bass guitar; Corrina Silvester - percussion; Sophie Alloway - drums; Sarah Tandy - additional Fender Rhodes comping.
All of the cats…
ALCYONA MICK
ALEX RIDOUT
AUGUST WANNGREN
BECCA TOFT
CAMILLA GEORGE
CAROL JARVIS
CHARLIE PYNE
CHARLIE JUNGLE-SCHABER
CHLOË ABBOTT
CORRINA SILVESTER
GEMMA MOORE
GEORGE CROWLEY
HELENA KAY
JOHANNA BURNHEART
JOSIE SIMMONS
KATRINE AMSLER
MARCO PASQUARIELLO
NAADIA SHERIFF
NICK PUGH
NOEL LANGLEY
NUBYA GARCIA
RALPH WYLD
ROBIN MORRISON
ROSIE TURTON
SAMUEL HÄLLKVIST
SARAH TANDY
SHEILA MAURICE-GREY
SHIRLEY TETTEH
SOPHIE ALLOWAY
SOPHIE BASS
TORI FREESTONE
TOM JENKINS
YAZZ AHMED
LAHAN AL-MANSOUR
RUBY BRIDGES
ONE GIRL AMONG MANY
2857
DEEDS NOT WORDS
BARBARA
For their love, support and inspiration, I would like to thank...
Firstly, all the talented musicians featured on this album, secondly, Nick Pugh, Tom Jenkins and Robin Morrison for their spectacular skills, golden ears and patience. Special thanks to Gary Crosby, Janine Irons and Tomorrow's Warriors for commissioning Polyhymnia, to the PRS for Music Foundation for funding this recording and to Ropeadope Records for releasing this album. Sophie Bass, for her constant ability to surprise and delight me with her genius. For his friendship, love, confidence and vision, I am forever indebted to Charlie Campion of IXCHEL. And finally my gratitude for their encouragement over the years goes to, Amy Pearce, Vanessa Reed, Leigh McKinney, Carl Skinner, Mandy, Sameer, all of my family and Noel.
Recorded by Nick Pugh at Session Corner, Luton, in August and November 2016.
Samuel's guitars were recorded in Copenhagen by Katrine Amsler at Valby Station and by August Wanngren at Virkeligheden Studio, 2019.
Ralph, George and Naadia were recorded by Marco Pasquariello at Snap Studios, London, January 2019.
Additional recording, overdubbing and editing at Tatami Studios by Noel Langley during 2017 - 2019.
All tracks composed and arranged by Yazz Ahmed.
One Girl Among Many features extracts from the 2013 UN speech by Malala Yousafzai.
Biographies and cultural research by Emily Curran.
Artwork by Sophie Bass.
Art Direction by Charlie Campion.
Mixed by Tom Jenkins.
Mastered by Robin Morrison.
Produced by Noel Langley and Yazz Ahmed.
Yazz Ahmed is supported by PRS for Music Foundation.
Yazz and Noel play Eclipse trumpets and flugelhorns exclusively.
For anyone who found this booklet on Substack and doesn’t have a record, you can get a copy from Night Time Stories here.