On ‘Where Light Settles,’ Jasmine Myra refines a compositional voice that privileges emotional clarity without surrendering complexity. These nine pieces are bound by an underlying meditation on duality, growth emerging through difficulty, but what distinguishes the record is how gently that idea is articulated. Nothing is overstated. Instead, meaning accumulates through careful arrangement, ensemble sensitivity, and a deep trust in space.
“Opening” establishes the album’s tonal language with quiet assurance. The presence of a larger ensemble, conducted by Ozzy Moysey, is immediately felt, yet the performance resists grandeur. Strings and harp create a luminous bed, while Myra’s alto saxophone enters not as a lead voice demanding attention, but as one thread among many. This approach becomes central to the album’s identity: the soloist as participant rather than focal point.
On “Reflections,” that philosophy deepens. Piano and vibraphone introduce a motif that seems to turn in on itself, subtly altered with each pass. The effect is not cyclical so much as contemplative, as if the music is testing different emotional angles of the same thought. Myra’s phrasing mirrors this, her tone measured and warm, never pushing beyond what the composition requires. The ensemble, with flute, guitar, and strings in particular, responds with a delicacy that feels collective rather than arranged.
“Likeness and Shadow” draws more explicitly on the album’s central theme. Here, contrast is handled through texture rather than volume: darker harmonic undercurrents from double bass and lower strings are offset by lighter, almost translucent lines from harp and flute. The result is a subtle play of weight and lift, where neither side dominates. Myra’s saxophone navigates this terrain with restraint, tracing the boundary between the two without resolving it.
A shift arrives with “Some Rain Must Fall,” where the rhythmic foundation becomes more pronounced. Drums and percussion introduce a grounded pulse, allowing the ensemble to expand outward. Yet even here, the music avoids dramatic escalation. Instead, it leans into a sense of acceptance, the melodic lines carried by tenor sax and strings suggesting movement through difficulty rather than resistance to it. Myra’s contribution remains integrated, her tone absorbing the ensemble’s energy rather than cutting through it.
“Echo” pares things back again, focusing on resonance and decay. Notes linger, overlap, and dissolve, creating a sense of continuity that blurs the line between sound and silence. Vibraphone and piano play a crucial role here, their sustained tones giving the piece a reflective quality that feels suspended in time. Myra’s phrasing becomes more spacious, allowing each note to settle fully before the next emerges.
The brief “Breath” functions as a hinge within the album. Its concision and relative sparseness highlight the importance of pause, not as absence, but as a necessary condition for what follows. This sensibility carries into “Fragments v,” where the ensemble operates in smaller, interlocking gestures. Rather than presenting a single, unified statement, the piece assembles itself from partial ideas, each instrument contributing a shard of the whole. The cohesion lies in the listening as much as the playing.
“In an Instant” introduces a fleeting sense of urgency, its melodic lines moving with greater immediacy. Guitar and piano take on a more active role, while the rhythm section provides a subtle forward motion. Yet even at its most animated, the music retains its composure. Myra’s saxophone threads through the arrangement with precision, never overstating the moment.
The title track, “Where Light Settles,” brings the album to a point of quiet resolution. Strings swell with a measured warmth, and the ensemble gathers into a unified expression that feels earned rather than imposed. Myra’s playing here is especially telling: she resists any temptation toward climactic flourish, instead allowing the melody to rest within the ensemble’s collective voice. The piece does not resolve the album’s central duality so much as accept it, holding both weight and release in balance.
Recorded live at The Nave in Leeds, the album benefits from the immediacy of shared space. The interplay between instruments including alto and tenor saxophones, piano, vibraphone, harp, guitar, flute, strings, double bass, drums, and percussion, carries a sense of attentiveness that cannot be easily replicated in isolation. Each musician contributes to a sound that is at once detailed and cohesive, guided by Moysey’s direction but shaped equally by Myra’s compositional clarity.
‘Where Light Settles’ does not seek to overwhelm. Its strength lies in its patience, in the way it allows ideas to emerge fully formed yet gently presented. Myra’s decision to embed her saxophone within the ensemble rather than elevate it speaks to a broader artistic confidence: a willingness to let the music speak as a whole. The result is an album that engages deeply without raising its voice, offering a considered reflection on growth, difficulty, and the quiet transformations that connect them.
Releases May 15, 2026
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