How Can we Wake? is saxophonist-composer Josephine Davies's trio Satori's third – and second ‘live’ – album since forming in 2016. Its programmatic, suite-based narrative's titles are based on mind-states from ancient Indian mystic Patanjali's Yoga-sutra, a meditative and psychological text relating to Yoga practice. Musically speaking, Davies' trio explore the space in which musicians improvise together in-the-moment, with a less-is-more approach to composition and harmonic structure. However the music never feels overly prescriptive; there's a natural coherence to it and the warm mix of post-Coltrane free jazz and a more groove-based language makes it both challenging and listener-friendly. The sound is also of a high-quality in spite of coming from a recent ‘live’ performance at The Oxford Tavern in Kentish Town and (two tracks) at the Total Refreshment Centre in Hackney.

The saxophonist's simpatico partners are double bassist Dave Whitford and drummer James Maddren, both highly regarded contributors to the UK and wider European jazz scene. On the excellent opener/closer ‘Ananda:bliss’ Davies' elegantly yearning sax theme sounds like an old spiritual and she's closely shadowed by Whitford's exquisitely probing bass punctuations. It's followed by the first of three short sutras (translated ‘threads’) which work very well, on which each instrumentalist performs solo. On the first ‘Sutra’ Maddren's whispering drum soliloquy segues into Duhkha: pervasive dissatisfaction', with its ominous African-funk groove. The playful ‘Mudita: joy’ pays tribute to Ornette Coleman's momentous Golden Circle Stockholm trio while thematically it's reminiscent of Sonny Rollins' trio's Freedom Suite. Davies' dervish-like soprano sax improv on ‘Daya: compassion’ is entirely mesmerizing while Maddren's crisply pulsating kit-work impresses on the Julian Arguelles-ish folk-dancey ‘Klesha:affliction’.