Enchanting, surprising, addictive: once you start listening to
Brandee Younger, you can't stop. Like a siren, the New York harpist draws you into her world, which you then don't want to leave. Listen, for example, to her rendition of Alice Coltrane's
Turiya And Ramakrishna. It's written for piano and quite bluesy, but with Younger it suddenly turns out to be tailor-made for harp. She has worked with Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, Ron Carter, Charlie Haden, Lauryn Hill and John Legend, among others. Younger made several recordings on minor labels before releasing her first album on Impulse! Records in 2021:
Somewhere Different. The single
Beautiful Is Black earned her a Grammy nomination. The harp has always been a bit of an outlier in jazz, but with her daring, virtuoso playing and surprising arrangements, Younger has now definitely put the instrument on the map.
