Berlin, 5.2.2022. Memorial Concert for my friend the journalist, music sociologist and publisher Dr. Christian Broecking at A-Trane in Berlin. With George Lewis (Columbia University, Speaker), Aki Takase & Alexander von Schlippenbach, Reggie Moore, André Vida, Paul Brody, Silke Eberhard, Nikolaus Neuser, Johannes Fink, Steve Heather, Angelika Niescier and myself. Many thanks to Sedal Sardan for his engaged support. It was a heartwarming evening, in the audience many former colleagues and friends of Christian: Martin Laurentius (Jazzthing), Thomas Gross (Taz, Die Zeit), Jens Balzer (Die Zeit), Daniel Bax (Taz), Ulli Stock (Die Zeit), Ulf Drechsel (rbb), photographer Roland Owsnitzki, festival promoter Rainer Kern (Enjoy Jazz), and concert promoter Assi Glöde (Jazzkeller e.V.). But also longtime colleagues like Christiane Dramé. For Maxi Broecking and her daughters.
GEMA-Funding 2021
My work as musician and composer is momentary funded by:
March / April 2019. Four years after his solo debut Back & Fourth Oliver Hafke Ahmad is issuing some new songs,
which he produced in the last years. While the last album was recorded with his live band, the new
album FUTURE BLUES is completely self-produced and recorded. Beside saxophone and flute Oliver also recorded all keyboards, synthesizers, guitars,
additional percussion instruments and programmed the virtual drum sets.
"On this album I worked like a painter, developed all songs and compositions
from first sketches in black and white to complete works in colorful arrangements." In this solo-recording you can hear many influences of electronic music,
pop and jazz. Carefully programmed parts are well balanced with live performed and recorded instruments. It embeds the traditional jazz instrument saxophone in a contemporary sound that doesn't imitate the glorious past of blues and jazz but points
into a future where the analogue individual is surrounded by an increasingly digital world.
Januar 2020. In the annual charts of 140 music journalists of National Public Radio the Berlin based jazz journalist and music sociologist Christian Broecking (author of several books and in German magazine Jazzthing or daily newspaper Berliner Zeitung) put the album FUTURE BLUES on number 6 of his ten best albums of the des year 2019.
Broecking puts FUTURE BLUES between albums of Wadada Leo Smith (Rosa Parks: Pure Love) and the Art Ensemble of Chicago (We Are On The Edge). What an honour! The complete list you can find here.
FUTURE BLUES Airplay / Netplay
North german public radio NDRKultur played half an hour on 16. July 2019 music from the album FUTURE BLUES (Playlist here).
Also in a playlist of FreeFallRadio from San Francisco (Free Fall 875) you can find music from FUTURE BLUES.
More Airplay on local fm-frequency and online at the Berlin based JazzRadio (Single "Future Blues" in Rotation), rockradio.de...
Links to streaming-sites and online shops with the new album FUTURE BLUES you find here...
Jazzahead 2019 in Bremen
Presentation at Booth 6C16 from Thursday April 25 to Saturday April 27. We are in Bremen to find new possibilities for concerts, touring, distribution
and collaborations.
Single FUTURE BLUES out now!
(Release: May 17, 2019)
The first single of the new album is released. It is a twelve bar blues on a house beat. Oliver Hafke Ahmad
is featured on tenor sax and flute on this track and has also recorded all other instruments and programmed the
beats and synthesizers.
April 2018. After the visit of the music fair Jazzahead 2018 in Bremen (19.- 22. April, booth 6C14)
with hopefully many new contacts and possibilities, Oliver will finalize art work and
will release the new album with new tracks inspired by jazz and electronic music.
All instruments and arrangements Oliver recorded in his own studio. Live onstage he will
have a great band with guitar, vibes or keys, bass and drums. On festivals or in clubs for electronic music he is able to present the music in a DJ plus soloist(s) format.
Here are two songs of the new album with a new line up of the band in our first concert:
First songs of the new album "Future Blues" at concert at B-Flat Berlin (Sept. 3 2017)
This years gig in the "new" B-Flat in Berlin-Mitte will present
some of his new compositions, of the new album (working title "Future Blues") with a mix of jazz, house und electronica.
Oliver Hafke Ahmad (Saxophones), Amr Hammour (Gitarre),
Shota Higashikawa (Bass), Benjamin Strauss (Drums) and maybe some more musicians will perform for you.
Sunday, Sept. 03. 2017, Doors 20:00h, Curfew: 21:00h, B-Flat Acoustic Music + Jazz Club, www.b-flat-berlin.de
New Project, video of the first show online!
Oliver Hafke Ahmad & Jaak Lutsoja (Jazz, Tango, Rock, Electronica)
feat. The Hammour Brothers live at B-Flat Berlin
In this collaboration of the Estonian accordeonist Jaak Lutsoja and the german-arab saxophonist Oliver Hafke Ahmad from Berlin melt world jazz, new music, tango and electronica.
After several days in the studio working on new material, the first show was performed and recorded on March 13, 2016 at B-Flat Berlin. Jaak
Lutsoja came the long way from Talinn exclusively for this gig.
The concert was a trip from Berlin to Estonia, Serbia
and Syria, because you will hear the Serbian-Syrian Hammour Brothers (Amr and Bilal from Damascus) on guitar and bass. Olivers longyear bandmate Benjamin Strauss, one of
the most versatile percussionists in Berlin, on drums. The video is now online and your can find the link here. More...
First Album "Back & Fourth" Out Now!
Oliver Hafke Ahmad's first album as a leader of his quartet (Thibault Falk - p, Shota Higashikawa - b, Benjamin Strauss - b) will be released on the artist's own label
Urban Grooves Berlin Records.
Jazz journalist Christian Broecking reviewed the album in the Berliner Zeitung and finds the album "successful" and "impressive".
The hip German Jazzmagazine Jazzthing hears "pliant sounds between jazz-rock, soul, funk and pop".
You will find twelve tracks between funk, jazz, pop and electronica all written and arranged by Oliver.
The title of the album Back and Fourth reminds of the unstable life of an artist, the tension between tradition and innovation,
and the backbeat in music as well as the interval fourth, which is used in jazz and one of the songs.
The album has been recorded in Berlin with love for many details and Oliver edited and mixed it afterwards on his own. He is also responsible
for the artwork. Oliver portraited himself and his bandmembers in a visual mixture of concentration and dynamic at the same time, a symbol for the
music the quartet has recorded here. Oliver's debut album summarizes his many experiences in the music business as musician, journalist, promoter, photographer
and now also label owner.
In September our ensemble will perform for the first time in the Jazzclub Erfurt. First time with us: Eyal Lovett on Piano and Keyboards (Shota Higashikawa on 7-String-Bass and Benjamin Strauss on Drums). We present songs of our first release "Back & Fourth" and more unreleased material. More informations on the website of Jazzclub Erfurt e.V. (Saturday, September 19 2015, doors open 20:00h, show time 20:30h)
On July 23rd we will perform at the Zig Zag Jazzclub in Berlin-Friedenau (show time 21:00h, Hauptstraße 89, 12159 Berlin near Innsbrucker Platz). We present songs of our first release "Back & Fourth" and more unreleased material
and perform with Amr Hammour (git, Oud, voc) and Bilal Hammour (6-String-Bass), two of the best known young jazz musisicians from Damascus.
Concert at B-Flat Berlin, February 02, 2015
Oliver Hafke Ahmad's Jazz Nomads "Back & Fourth"
The Band will perform the music of the first album "Back & Fourth" and some more new material between jazz, funk & house.
Oliver Hafke Ahmad (Saxophon), Thibault Falk (Piano, Electronics), Shota Higashikawa (7-String-Bass), Benjamin Strauss (Drums). Venue: B-Flat, Rosenthalerstr. 13 in Berlin-Mitte, Feb. 02 2015, Entrance 20h, Start 21h.
Concert at B-Flat Berlin, December 23, 2014
Oliver Hafke Ahmad's Jazz Nomads feat. Hal Tsuchida (Organ/Bass Pedal)
The Band will perform for the first time with the Japanese organist Hal Tsuchida, who will also play
the bass with his left hand or his feet on the bass pedal. Together with Thibault on grand piano and electronics we are looking forward for
an exciting new sound experience.
Postmigrant Urban Grooves (Jazz, Funk, Electronics): Oliver Hafke Ahmad (Saxophon), Thibault Falk (Piano, Electronics), Hal Tsuchida (Hammond Organ & Bass Pedal), Benjamin Strauss (Drums). Venue: B-Flat, Rosenthalerstr. 13 in Berlin-Mitte, Dec. 23 2014, Entrance 20h, Start 21h.
Radio-Interview 26. August 2013, 6:00 pm on jazzplanet.de
Oliver Hafke Ahmad will be interviewed on monday, 26. August 2013 at 6:00 pm during the show of Jacobien Vlasmann on jazzplanet.de. He will
present for the first time music of his recently recorded album with the Jazz Nomads!
Concert at B-Flat Berlin, September 2nd 2013
Oliver Hafke Ahmad`s Jazz Nomads, Postmigrant Urban Grooves (Jazz, Funk, Electronics): Oliver Hafke Ahmad (Saxophon), Thbault Falk (Piano, Electronics), Shota Higashikawa (7-String-Bass), Benjamin Strauss (Drums). Venue: B-Flat, Rosenthalerstr. 13 in Berlin-Mitte, 2.9.2013, Entrance 20h, Start 21h.
Studio Session Finished
In the beginning of 2013 Oliver Hafke Ahmad booked for three days Berlin´s Greve Studio to record fourteen of his own compositions with his quartet.
Oliver Hafke Ahmad on Saxes and flute, Thibault Falk on piano, fender rhodes, wurlitzer and laptop, Shota Higashikawa on electric and double bass and Benjamin Strauss on Drums.
