Yazz Ahmed has been making serious waves in the Jazz world after storming onto the scene with a commanding performance with her quintet at Ronnie Scott’s in 2010. With her new release, La Saboteuse, she looks set to flip the jazz world on its head and break through to the forefront of the UK music scene with a vibrant and exciting approach to their art...

Yazz Ahmed's new album La Saboteuse is a strange release. It's a modern Jazz album that attempts to break away from being pigeonholed; to offer something a little more modern and in the process shake up the scene. Maybe it will achieve this, maybe it won't, but one thing is certain it's a very niche market they're going for here. Fans of traditional Jazz probably won't enjoy the new direction, while those that like modern Jazz may be unsure of where it's going.

On balance I did rather enjoy the album. I can certainly appreciate what they're attempting to pull off, but it's not really an album I'd want to listen to for pleasure. As an experimental piece this works wonders, but as music to relax too... well that's up to each individual to discover for themselves.

The LP contains 13 tracks (57 min, 20 sec).

5

Nick Smithson