The key word here feels like ‘duality,’ as there are doubled-up, parallel layers surrounding this music in abundance. Firstly, the beauty of the sound itself, this is very much a composed piece of work in which the textures and intricacies are many and they have been applied with precision and clear intent. And yet, there is a fluidity at play as well, these are pieces that have a natural grace to them and a free-flowing air. What at times appears complex can also sound undeniably immediate, offering the listener instant payback and audio pleasure. I am considering these facets before even getting to the inspiration, the ignition from the artist that brought these tracks to life. Clearly saxophonist Jasmine Myra was both bemused and infused with fascination at the punches and blows we encounter on our journey through life. How pain must be part of the process but also how learning and wisdom can come from those experiences, not to mention an arsenal of coping strategies and a maturity that helps us arrive at an appreciation in the wonder of it all. In fact, Jasmine pointed to these very thoughts herself in the build up to this album. “Pain is unavoidable” she reasons, “and you’ll have hardship no matter what, but you don’t grow or learn about yourself or the world around you without it. The duality is the growth and coming out the other side. I had the concept from the start.”

So, this is the third Jasmine Myra album, and she is an emerging talent no more, we had better start thinking of her as an artist settling into their own gravitational field. After the warm reception to ‘Horizons’and ‘Rising,’ she arrives at ‘Where Light Settles’ with a clearer sense of purpose and a broadened musical vocabulary, drawing on years spent shaping a distinctive approach to ensemble writing and instrumental narrative. This new record finds her expanding that language with a larger group and a more cinematic sweep, recorded live in a single room to preserve the charged, collective focus so essential to bringing this music to life. “This album is so much about energy. We had to be able to see each other,” she says. Now based in London but still closely connected to the Leeds scene that nurtured her, Myra steps into the role of producer for the first time, guiding a 15‑piece band through arrangements that place her alto saxophone as part of the details. It marks a turning point because more than merely composing backing for her sax expressions, every aspect of this construct, through the strings, piano, flute, guitar, vibraphone, and harp, has been dreamed up and inspired with cohesion by the dynamic Myra imagination.

The elegant, expanded piano chords that usher in ‘Opening’ set the tone for the lush nine-track journey we are about to embark on. It feels natural even before the guitar and wind instrumental passages enter the picture. The one other aspect of this whole work that shines through from the start is Myra’s love of nature, specifically regular trips to North Wales, the Lake District, and the South Downs. “I just love those landscapes. It’s the duality: nature can be brutal but beautiful and I love that juxtaposition.” That these have been built to play as a suite of songs is also apparent early on, the segue into second track ‘Reflections,’ which also has some beautiful piano arpeggios laying a groundwork, is quite seamless. The only way to experience this album is as a nine-part listening experience in the sequence presented here. From the early morning rise at the outset, vividly evoked when we first hear some Myra sax, to the eventual dimming of the day on ‘Where The Light Settles,’ this is music that belongs as one and will undoubtedly reward the time spent experiencing it if played that way.

‘Likeness And Shadow’ hits full bloom from a bedding of propulsive bass and as the lead instruments fully flower, not just sax but some crucial baton grabbing from the piano too, you can almost see the sun cracking through the trees as shadows glide across the landscape. ‘Some Rain Must Fall’ progresses with a similar, yet far more forlorn, double bass plucking and in moments like this I am awe struck by the magic of music, how so much can be said without words; this song did not need a literal title to tell me what we are feeling. I can see the ripples of the suns fading reflection shimmering on the freshly fallen puddles in the pavement. Jasmine has self-declared influences in artists like Fabiano do Nascimento, Arooj Aftab and Alabaster Deplume which can be detected when hitting her hypnotic peak, something in that gentle mesmeric tension speaks to her musical tastes, but the track ‘Echo’ actually pulls in folk music textures too. ‘Breath’ is a tranquil interlude before ‘Fragments’ is almost ‘Tubular Bells’ like in the way it builds sonic variations on top of the most inviting of piano figures. Finally, the resting title track is described by Jasmine as “a metaphor for hope, and for me, it’s the perfect title for this album. It communicates the energy and the meaning behind it; and it ties in with the theme of duality.” It is a twin setting that carries right to the end because, as well as being a perfect circle closing return to the start, it also leaves you hungry to take this glorious ride once more. ‘Where Light Settles’ is a Jasmine Myra album that primes her for an impressive future just as it whets our appetites for so much more Myra related listening to come.

Danny Neill

Buy the album via this link: https://amzn.to/4wCMR3x