It’s been almost two years since I wrote about Jasmine Myra’s beautiful debut album Horizons (LINK TO REVIEW), which was one of the best UK jazz releases of 2022. Now the composer, alto saxophonist and flautist releases Rising, her second album for Matthew Halsall’s Gondwana Records, which for the most part carries on from where Horizons left off, but with some subtle differences.
Myra has prospered from being part of a nurturing Northern jazz community, from working at Dave Walker’s All Brass And Woodwind shop, studying at the Leeds Conservatoire and receiving encouragement and support from her tutor Rob Mitchell and local promoter/DJ Lubi Jovanovic. While across the Pennines, the Manchester-based Gondwana Records has become the perfect home for Myra and her music both spiritually and geographically.
The musicians are with one exception the same Leeds Conservatoire alumni as before: pianist Jasper Green, guitarist Ben Haskins, harpist Alice Roberts, drummer George Hall and percussionist Greg Burns, but this time with double bassist Sam Quintana taking over from Gondwana Orchestra’s Gavin Barras.
The string quartet arrangements on four of the six tracks are again by Carmel Smickersgill and feature violinists Isabella Baker and Lisa Meech, violist Sophia Dignam and cellist Awen Blandford. The album was recorded and co-produced by Matthew Halsall, mixed by Portico Quartet collaborator Greg Freeman and mastered by Peter Beckmann.
This level of continuity makes sense as the new repertoire is every bit as strong as before, and hearing it performed with the same musicians and in the same production style gives each composition an instantly familiar feeling. It should also help Myra establish her distinctive joyful sound and build the awareness this music deserves.
As before, there are the deeply melodic themes, the subtlety of the arrangements, the delicate percussion and production textures. But this time the playing feels even more assured, the compositions more skilfully assembled and the sense of space, warmth and nature in the music is enhanced. All the musicians play their part to make this work so well and there are some fine solos, especially Ben Haskins guitar on Glimmers and Jasper Green’s Nord piano on the title track. Myra’s influences are less visible as her own personality comes through stronger, and her alto playing, especially the solo on the optimistic final track How Tall The Mountains is just wonderful.
Myra is currently on tour around the country with a London show on Thursday May 9th at, appropriately, Cecil Sharp House, the home of the English Folk Dance and Song Society. It will be interesting to see how her music develops in the future. But for times like these, this is exactly the kind of music we need and I will be playing it all summer long.
Rising is released today 3 May 2024
