Jasmine Myra (Interview)
Good morning.
Today we’re listening to Jasmine Myra, a saxophonist, composer and band leader based in London. She started learning sax at age 14, and went on to study at Leeds Conservatoire. There she participated in the eclectic Leeds jazz scene, and accumulated wide-ranging influences from MF DOOM to Bonobo.1 On Friday she released a new record, Rising, whose six mellow and meticulous pieces showcase Myra’s compositional ingenuity and her band’s synergy. We’re also playing her 2022 debut LP, Horizons, which was conceived in the early days of the pandemic. An interview with Jasmine follows the streaming links.
Rising - Jasmine Myra (40m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal
Horizons - Jasmine Myra (40m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal
Tell us about your earliest musical memories. What are the artists or tracks that awakened your musical appreciation?
I remember when I was really young, watching musicals with my grandparents. They used to take me to the theatre quite regularly, but also they had quite a few musicals on video, so we would watch them at home.
I’ve always been encouraged to listen to music. From a young age I was shown all different types of music. For example, we would always watch the Jools Holland show, or listen to the radio together. My parents would show me albums that they liked. I think this made me develop an appreciation for music early on and understand its importance, although I wouldn’t say I developed my own taste in music till I was in my early teens.
When I started learning saxophone at age 14, it opened the door to Jazz music. I was introduced to a lot of new Jazz and musicians who I had never heard of before, like Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. To be honest, at the time their music went completely over my head and for a while I felt like I only enjoyed playing Jazz, and didn’t really enjoy listening to it.
I continued to delve further into it and eventually came across artists and sub-genres that resonated with me, like Cannonball Adderley. “Them Dirty Blues” was one of the first Jazz albums I got into. It was unlike any type of Jazz I’d heard before. Hearing that album was my first realisation that Jazz is such a broad genre and that I don’t have to like all types of Jazz, but there are types of Jazz out there that I can connect with.
Tell us about your time in Leeds' genre-fluid music scene. What music did you discover there? How did that scene influence your recent work?
I will always be grateful to have been a part of the Leeds scene, for all the support and inspiration that community gave me when I was starting my band. The scene is very close knit, and what’s wonderful about it is that it’s not competitive. The musicians in the scene support and uplift one another.
There is so much incredible original music coming out of Leeds, and has been for years. I’m glad that it’s finally starting to get the recognition it deserves. I am seeing more and more bands emerging out of Leeds and doing cool stuff, and it makes me so happy!
It’s also, like you say, very eclectic. What I find so inspiring is that everyone is finding their niche and creating projects that are authentic and unique. It’s not about following the crowd. And I feel like the scene itself, in being so varied, creates a safe environment to do so.
As bandleader how do you think about creating a space for creativity and collaboration, to elicit the best ideas and performances from players?
I feel so lucky to have my band because they really understand my music and what I’m wanting from their performance. It has taken time to get to this point though. When I bring a new tune to the band, I try to explain the emotion that I want to express through the music, so they know how to approach it.
Some of the parts I write are very specific, but others are much freer. In the freer parts, I often write little notes on the chart so they know what I want in that section.
Something I really stand by as a bandleader is to not get angry about mistakes, even on gigs. I never want my band to feel worried or stressed about a performance, as I believe that it’s counterproductive in creating a strong vibe. (Also, we’re all going to make mistakes sometimes; that’s just part of being human.) I want them to feel relaxed enough to be able to play freely and take risks when appropriate.
Which artists are you listening to the most these days?
That’s a hard question haha. I’ve been listening to a lot of different artists recently. The music I listen to tends to move in waves through different genres. So recently I’ve been listening to a lot of Hip-hop. I’ve always liked this genre, ever since I started listening at uni. Back then, I was really into artists like Madlib and MF DOOM. More recently I’ve been getting into Black Star, Mos Def, A Tribe Called Quest, and Wu-Tang Clan.
What music, if any, do you listen to while doing busywork, like answering emails, etc.?
My go-to albums are New Energy by Four Tet and Onism by Photay. I find that the repetitiveness and the beats help me focus. I can’t listen to music that has lyrics or changes too often, or I’ll get distracted.
What are you working on next?
For now I’m working on touring this year with my band. I’m excited to be doing a UK tour at the start of May, to celebrate the release of Rising. I’m also working on touring later in the year outside of the UK.
I will also get back to writing soon, and will start working towards the next release!
Beautiful music, thank you