Jazzahead! 2026: day four

My first podcast guest at Jazzahead! was the totally inspirational Sahad and he ended up being the last show I saw on the closing night. 

Before we reached that late night show, there was lots more networking and some great interviews (I’m still planning to release the jazzahead! episode of Harmonious World on Monday).

Jasmine Myra and her band

The afternoon’s showcase was Leeds and London-based saxist Jasmine Myra. She put on a great show and if anyone was looking to book a band that was a sure-fire crowd-pleaser, they’ll be getting a booking in the calendar now. Alongside Jasmine’s alto sax were Rianna Henriques (flute), Arran Kent (flute and bass clarinet), Ben Haskins (guitar), Jasper Green (piano), Alice Roberts (harp), Sam Quintana (bass) and George Hall (drums).

The evening’s German Jazz Prize event was an ideal chance to catch some of the artists who are representing Germany right now. There’ll be a separate article on that coming this week …

Sahad!

The final show of the festival was my first podcast guest at Bremen - Sahad. He was even better than the videos I’d seen before we chatted. Sometimes it’s hard to write dispassionately about music that really moves you. Late at night there is something wildly infectious about Sahad and his band. The rhythms and arrangements make it almost impossible not to dance. The irony that I’ve travelled to a Northern European city to discover some of the finest African jazz is not lost on me.

Please do take a listen to the Harmonious World episode that is coming out tomorrow - Sahad has a fascinating story to tell.

There will be lots of album reviews to come from some of the artists I met at jazzahead! 2026. Watch this space …