Released: May 3, 2024

Genre: Jazz

From: Leeds, UK

Label: Gondwana Records

A few thoughts: Jasmine Myra’s music is stunning, with incredible compositions that are intricate and deep with emotion. Her 2022 album Horizons debut showcased her talents as a composer and arranger effortlessly, and with her sophomore album Rising, she pushes her sound and ambitions into new territories. Produced by Matthew Halsall, the album is a vibrant, beautiful and meandering body of work, with intricate compositions featuring incredible saxophone and wind instrumentation, as well as immersive percussion that creates such a vibrant yet reflective and meditative tone. The self-titled opener is a sensual one, with saxophone leads and keys that add to the delicate and light energy of the track. The rhythmic drumming give the album a steady groove, while the piano leads at the latter end of the track are stunning. “Still Waters” is a soft, beautiful cut with flute and other wind instrumentation adding to the smooth, idyllic sound of the track. The harp leads on “Knowingness” are incredibly emotive, with sax leads giving the track so much light and colour, and the groove led by the drumming, subtle bass and wind instrumentation makes for an immersive listen. “Glimmers” has emotive piano leads and drumming throughout that are both incredibly immersive and stunning, and make for a great listen. The guitar leads and frantic drumming throughout makes this a dynamic, exciting track and one of the highlights for me. “From Embers” is a short and beautiful track with wind instrumentation and emphatic melodies that are incredible and build throughout the track. “How Tall the Mountains” is another beautiful, reflective moment, with keys, sax leads and strings adding to the subtle drumming throughout that adds a magical, delicate and stunning quality to the track. Rising is an exceptional body of work showcasing Jasmine Myra’s talents as a composer, with mesmerising moments that capture the aura and beauty of her artistry.

The album: