The London jazz scene is blossoming at the moment, and Bahla is the latest to have caught our attention.

The up-and-coming contemporary jazz act will self-release their debut album Imprints on later this week. The forward-thinking outfit breaks new ground with their unique concoction of cinematic jazz entangled with Jewish folklore.

The album titled ‘Imprints’ was recorded in December 2016 and features a collection of 8 songs inspired by stories of those who have had to leave their homes and brave the unknown.

Today we’re sharing Nigun Simchas the magnificent album opener that sets the tone for the rest of the project. The mostly instrumental track comes drenched in calming melodies on keys and guitar coupled with radiant vocals towards the end that together create a swelling soundscape.

Founding member Tal Janes had this to say about the track:  ‘Nigunim are wordless melodies which are meditatively sung round and round and we found an old recording of ‘Nigun Simcha’ on the internet and just started to play around with it. Also, we were checking out a lot of music from North Africa at the time and tried to get into the way they feel 12/8. ‘

The band will launch the album with a gig at St. Mary’s Music Hall this coming Thursday. They’ve also announced some UK shows in February 2018 (dates below).

February 2nd – Norwich – Anteros Arts Foundation

February 14th – Sheffield – The Lescar

February 15th – York – The Basement

February 16th – Newcastle – The Jazz Cafe

February 17th – Leeds – Heart

February 18th – Edinburgh – The Jazz Bar

February 20th – Manchester – Peer Hat

February 21st – Torquay – Speakeasy

February 22nd – North Devon – Broomhill Arts

February 27th – London – Pizza Express, Dean Street

Imprints is out December 8th – pre-order here.