Asha Parkinson: Possession

There is a richness to the gorgeous 'Possession' out now on Ubuntu Music from London saxophonist, composer and BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year semi-finalist Asha Parkinson. Her ensemble Kalpadruma is an eclectic collection of musicians that combines all that is wonderful about a jazz quintet, string quartet, woodwind, voice and Parkinson's own sax.

The tracks are all individual and blurring boundaries between, well, just about every genre of music you can imagine. Distant Devotion includes guest fluting from Gareth Lockrane, adding an ethereal quality above the wider ensemble and Rebecka Edlund's vocals.

All the tracks on this album are intense and each one has a different atmosphere. The quasi-classical Mirror Image combines strings, woodwind, vocals and piano with more flute interweaving a trumpet solo. Right through the album, there's a sense of awareness of the world's problems and how people can help find solutions. Permanent Verse portrays both the anger spoken of in the opening words and the fierce desire to do something positive: lovely bari sax solo from Simeon May, too.

Kalpadruma was formed in 2017 and its debut album Onwards was well-received, and there is a pleasing maturity about this new offering and Parkinson's developing style. The name ‘Kalpadruma’ comes from Indian-origin religions and means tree of life - a perfect metaphor for the composer's creative process. Now performing across the UK at some of the most prestigious venues, Kalpadruma brings an exciting eclectic mix.

As I discovered from looking at Asha's website, she is not only a highly proficient sax player, composer and band leader, but also founder and driving force behind Voices Beyond Divisions, a charity dedicated to peace education through music and bringing young people from different cultures together. I highly recommend checking out the work the charity is doing, as well as Asha's amazing music.