The stars must be perfectly aligned just now for London-based jazz saxophonist, Jasmine Myra. She released her second album earlier this month; she is currently on tour in the UK¹; and (this is the clincher) one of my sources played an extract from the album for me a couple of weeks ago on his top-of-the-range hi-fi.

This is a collection of instrumentals. There are no words to suggest why Jasmine chose to call the album and its first track, Rising. Was she immersed in the beauty of the rising sun? Or thinking about the worrying rise in sea levels caused by climate change? Or, perhaps, even pondering the troublesome problem of rising damp?² Let’s listen …

The opening track exudes a sense of calm contentment, so watching the sunrise seems the most likely of those interpretations. This is a musician at peace with the world, and she is sharing her serenity with us. When the band moves on, it is via a series of equally soothing waypoints: Still Waters, Knowingness and Glimmers, finally taking us From Embers to the unanswered question, How Tall the Mountains?

The theme of peace and tranquillity runs through every track, unchanging, but there is a welcome variety in the textures: clarinet and flute passages weave around the saxophone; electric guitar and piano provide contrasting tones; string bass and drums bind everything neatly together. Rising is a quiet celebration of musical achievement from a rapidly rising star of contemporary jazz.