Roses bloom, algae may bloom, and musicians bloom sometimes, too. Yazz Ahmed, trumpeter and flügelhorn player, has been blooming since 2011, when she released her debut album, Finding My Way Home. This Track of the Week is from her second album release, La Saboteuse (2017).

The general style of Yazz Ahmed’s work is ambient jazz, sometimes a little too ambient for the Crotchety ears. It carries strong middle eastern influences, thanks to her Bahraini heritage on her father’s side, and she mixes in electronic effects as well. Of Ahmed’s playing, the best adjective I can find is ‘lyrical’. Where Miles Davis was always exploring new approaches, Yazz Ahmed prefers to stick to more traditional routes. If Miles is a challenge, Yazz provides the home comforts.