music
With Pat Thomas at the piano, Seymour Wright on saxophone, Antonin Gerbal on drums and Joel Grip on double bass, أحمد [Ahmed] is music of intense rhythm, rooted in repetition and evolution, to listen to, be swept away by and dance to. At its heart lies the legacy of Ahmed Abdul-Malik, a pioneering yet often overlooked figure in the history of jazz. A native of New York, he was a double bassist, composer, philosopher and oud player. In the late 1950s, Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane encouraged him to lead his own groups, resulting in a series of albums – such as Jazz Sahara (1958), East Meets West (1959), and Sounds of Africa (1962) – which brought the heritage of West Asia and East Africa into the jazz canon.
أحمد [Ahmed] emerges as a gesture of homage and vindication to re-inscribe this legacy within jazz. The quartet delves into, reinterprets and revives Abdul-Malik’s works and vision to reimagine jazz for the 21st century. Since 2017, they have released five albums, all recorded live: New Jazz Imagination (2017) – which features a portrait of Abdul-Malik on the cover –, Super Majnoon (East Meets West) (2019), Nights on Saturn (2022), Giant Beauty (2024) and Wood Blues (2024). Improvising on songs by the legendary double bassist, حمد [Ahmed]’s melodies build until they explode into energetic, technically masterful jazz, which, at its core, is nothing more than full-throttle swing.
pat thomas piano
joel grip douoble bass
antonin gerbal drums
seymour wright sax
supported by ibermúsicas
supported by portuguese republic – culture, youth and sports / general direction of the arts. portuguese contemporary art network (rpac). rtcp – network of portuguese theaters and cinemas.
