| Polyhymnia | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Yazz Ahmed |
| Cover: | Yazz_Ahmed_Polyhymnia.jpeg |
| Released: | 11 October 2019 |
| Recorded: | August 2016–2019[1] |
| Studio: | Session Corner (Luton) Valby Station (Copenhagen) Virkeligheden Studio (Copenhagen) Snap Studios (London) Tatami Studios |
| Genre: | Jazz[2] |
| Length: | 56:59 |
| Label: | Ropeadope |
| Prev Title: | La Saboteuse Remixed |
| Prev Year: | 2018 |
Polyhymnia is the third studio album by British-Bahraini musician Yazz Ahmed. It was released on 11 October 2019 through Ropeadope Records.
Described by Ahmed as a "celebration of female courage, determination and creativity", Polyhymnia is a concept album whose six tracks are all dedicated to a particular female activist or collective.[3] The album's title refers to Polyhymnia, the ancient Greek Muse of music.[4]
The material on Polyhymnia started life in 2015 as an extended piece commissioned by jazz education and artist development organization Tomorrow's Warriors.[4] [5] Each movement of this work was meant to correspond to an important figure in women's history.[4] The finished album features an "evolved and expanded" version of the original work, incorporating numerous new elements and additional musicians.[4]
Polyhymnia received positive reviews from critics. DownBeat awarded the album four stars out of five, stating the album "further establishes [Ahmed] as one of the more creative new voices in jazz" after the critical success of her previous album, La Saboteuse (2017).[3] Jazzwise included the album in their list of the best jazz albums of 2019, describing its music as "rich, sonorous, big, melodic, put[ting] a kick in your heels and a smile on your face".[5]
All tracks composed and arranged by Yazz Ahmed.
Note: "One Girl Among Many" features extracts from the 2013 United Nations speech by Malala Yousafzai.