An immensely promising debut (as leader) from Noga Ritter, an Israeli-born, London-based singer, composer and bandleader, Ima (Hebrew for ‘mother’) fuses Israeli jazz with the best of the eclectic London scene, throwing in a mixture of elements of Gnawa grooves, Jewish melodies and Senegalese sabar drums for good measure.

Musically, this makes for a dizzyingly diverse listen, but thanks to the individual skills of the musicians Ritter has marshalled, as well as her overarching vision as a leader, it all hangs together rather well. The title track, a celebration of the singer's mother Michal, who died last year, becomes a celebration of the work and potential of mothers, given moving overtones by Seckou Keita's exquisite kora playing; while the brassy ‘Ofek’ swings like a bastard. Most intriguing is ‘Crack The Shell’, in which subtle and seductive Middle Eastern rhythms, overlaid with Tomer Eldor's impressionistic piano runs and a spoken word recital by Ritter, and ‘Waiting For Change’, with its accessible Arabic/Israeli pop textures underlying – rather than undermining – its serious message. Well-travelled and cosmopolitan, Ritter is as comfortable singing and writing in English as she is in Hebrew; able to incorporate textures from all cultures; and on this evidence, a writer of serious potential.