Trumpet player Yazz Ahmed explores music and folklore from the Persian Gulf
12:34
From the show
This week, arts24 welcomes acclaimed trumpet player Yazz Ahmed. Throughout her career, the jazz musician has blended Arabic and Western sounds. Her new album "A Paradise In The Hold" takes us to the shores of Bahrain, where local folklore and Fijiri – the music of the pearl divers – are brought to life through gorgeous scales, percussion and voices. Yazz Ahmed tells Marjorie Hache about the stories and work that went into her fourth album. We also take a look at new music by Maneskin's Damiano David, rapper Chuck D and electronic pop artist MØ.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fashion Network
3 days ago
- Fashion Network
Beyoncé Cowboy Carter tour drives UK surge in Western fashion searches says Debenhams Group
Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour — which arrived in London last week — has sparked a boom in Western-themed items, according to data from Debenhams Group, whose brands 'have seen a surge in demand' for such items from fans. At PrettyLittleThing, searches for 'Cowboy jackets' surged 617% in May and Boohoo recorded a 166% increase in denim top sales last month. At the company's Nasty Gal brand, 'sequins' topped search terms in the week leading up to the opening date. Sales for Chocolate Calf-High Western Boots were also up 268% in the last month at PrettyLittleThing. The company owns a vast range of brands (including Debenhams itself, plus Karen Millen and Boohoo Man) and also said that overall searches for cowboy hats (+85%) and boots (+53%) underlined the appeal of the theme. The PrettyLittleThing youth brand also saw a 75% jump in accessory sales in the last month, with items like studded belts and fringe bags appealing to thousands of customers. At urban fashion brand Nasty Gal, that sequin obsession saw the search term overtaking 'bikinis' and 'co-ords' as the top search in the pre-tour week, closely followed by 'western' and 'cowboy', which both saw a 40% increase in searches compared to the previous week. Meanwhile, Boohoo womenswear saw an uplift in searches of 40% month-on-month for 'Jorts' and denim shorts 'as fans pay tribute to Beyoncé's hit' Levii's Jeans. The brand saw suede jacket sales rising 271%, denim tops up 166% as mentioned, cowboy hats rising 58% and cowboy-themed T-shirt sales up 33%. Dan Finley, CEO of Debenhams Group, said: 'Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour is proving to be a powerful cultural catalyst, reshaping style trends almost overnight. Customers are moving from inspiration to purchase faster than ever – trading typical staples for cowboy boots and denim as western fashion takes centre stage. It's a clear sign of how swiftly cultural movements translate into retail trends and why agility, relevance, and the ability to respond at speed are essential to modern retail.'
France 24
03-06-2025
- France 24
In Cairo, the little indie cinema that could
Zawya, meaning "perspective" in Arabic, has weathered the storm of Egypt's economic upheavals, championing a more artistic approach from the historical heart of the country's golden age of cinema. Zawya was born in the post-revolutionary artistic fervour of the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak. "There was this energy where people wanted to produce and create, not just in cinema, but in all the arts, you could feel it," said Zawya founder Youssef Shazli. In the time since, it has escaped a wave of closures -- some forced -- of art centres across the capital. Egypt had long been known as the Hollywood of the Arab world, but in the decades since its mid-century heyday, the domestic industry has largely been restricted to crowd-pleasing blockbusters. "It's often said that we're lucky to have a large film industry, with infrastructure already in place," said filmmaker Maged Nader. "But the truth is this industry operates solely on a commercial logic," leaving little room for independent filmmakers, he added. Yet Zawya has survived in its niche, in part due to the relative financial stability afforded to it by its parent company Misr International Films. Founded in 1972 by Egyptian cinematic giant Youssef Chahine -- Shazli's great uncle -- the company continues to produce and distribute films. Young talent For Shazli, Zawya is "a cinema for films that don't fit into traditional theatres". But for young cinephiles like 24-year-old actress Lujain, "it feels like home," she told AFP as she joined a winding queue into the larger of Zawya's two theatres. Since 2014, Zawya's year-round programming -- including both local and international short films, documentaries and feature films -- has secured the loyalty of a small but passionate scene. Its annual short film festival, held every spring, has become a vital space for up-and-coming directors trying to break through a system that leaves little room for experimentation. "I didn't even consider myself a filmmaker until Zawya screened my short," said Michael Samuel, 24, who works in advertising but says the cinema rekindled his artistic ambition. For many, that validation keeps them going. "Zawya has encouraged more people to produce these films because they finally have somewhere to be seen," said the cinema's manager, Mohamed Said. When Mostafa Gerbeii, a self-taught filmmaker, was looking for a set for his first film shoot, he also turned to the cinema. Without a studio or a budget, Zawya "just lent us their hall for free for a whole day", he said, saving the young director 100,000 Egyptian pounds (around $2,000) to rent a location. The heir The light of its marquee spilling onto downtown Cairo's Emad al-Din Street, Zawya is the 21st-century heir to a long artistic tradition that still lingers, though often hidden away in corners of the district's broad avenues. "It's a unique neighbourhood with an equally unique flavour of artistic and intellectual life," said Chihab El Khachab, a professor at the University of Oxford and author of the book "Making Film in Egypt". Starting in the late 19th century, the area was home to the city's biggest theatres and cabarets, launching the careers of the Arab world's most celebrated singers and actors. Today, its arteries flowing out of Tahrir square -- the heart of the 2011 uprising -- the neighbourhood is home to new-age coworking spaces and galleries, side by side with century-old theatres and bars. Yet even as it withstands the hegemony of mall multiplexes, Zawya cannot escape Egypt's pervasive censorship laws. Like every cinema in Egypt, each film must pass through a state censors before screening. "Over time, you learn to predict what will slide and what won't," Shazli said. But even the censors' scissors have failed to cut off the stream of ambition among burgeoning filmmakers. "Around Zawya, there's a lot of talent -- in every corner," Shazli said. © 2025 AFP
France 24
21-05-2025
- France 24
Arts 24 in Cannes: Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor team up for a sweeping WWI romance
Culture 10:18 From the show Arts24's Eve Jackson brings you the latest from the Cannes Film Festival, starting with "The History of Sound" – a powerful period love story starring Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor. Also in the spotlight, Gael García Bernal takes on the role of controversial explorer Ferdinand Magellan in Lav Diaz's bold new film. We dive into the latest red carpet controversies as Cannes tightens its dress code, and wrap up with "Dangerous Animals" – a shark thriller with something serious to say about toxic masculinity.
