For every one of its performances, the group حمد (Ahmed] selects a composition by Ahmed Abdul-Malik, pioneer at crossing jazz with eastern music. This composition serves as a basis for an improvisation that can have a different character every time, often with the emphasis on rhythm and groove. The core is a melody, which could lead to intensely physical and propulsive ensemble playing, as heard on the group’s recent album Wood Blues on the Astral Spirits label. The band received critical acclaim in, among others, The Wire, Pitchfork and Downbeat.
حمد (Ahmed] is a platform for four musicians from London, Berlin and Paris, who all follow their own paths in improvised music. At each performance of the band they reconnect with renewed energy. The pioneering bassist from New York, who played with legends such as Art Blakey and Coleman Hawkins, experimented with traditional eastern instruments and explored eastern music on albums such as Jazz Sahara and East Meets West.
Seymour Wright alto sax, Pat Thomas piano, Joel Grip double bass, Antonin Gerbal drums