Latest news with #BrandeeYounger
Wall Street Journal
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Wall Street Journal
‘Solace of the Mind' and ‘Gadabout Season' Review: Two Trailblazing Talents
To open 'Solace of the Mind' (Red Hook Records, out now), pianist Amina Claudine Myers plays her composition 'African Blues' like a hymn. On her 1980 album 'Salutes Bessie Smith,' singing wordlessly while playing and accompanied by Cecil McBee's bass and Jimmy Lovelace's drums, she stretched it into a rollicking swing that lasted nearly 15 minutes. Here, she takes her time yet stays concise. Her left hand offers low-end declarations, her right issues flowing lines. Alone at her piano for just under 3 1/2 minutes, she seems propelled by a gentle force and intent on offering what writer Howard Mandel describes in the liner note as 'a penetrating balm.' Harpist Brandee Younger establishes a notably different mood—of unease—with her composition 'Breaking Point' on her new release, 'Gadabout Season' (Impulse!). The song rides an edgy 9/8 pulse, urged along by drummer Allan Mednard's insistent beats and bassist Rashaan Carter's ascending phrases. Here, Ms. Younger first displays the pleasing grace one might expect from a harpist but then strums aggressively, like a rock guitarist. In between, she plays with the judiciousness and harmonic creativity of a savvy jazz pianist. Enmeshed within her tight-knit and nimble trio, she evokes pent-up energy and an understanding of how quickly things can change.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Brandee Younger wants 'Gadabout Season' to inspire joy
Harpist Brandee Younger hopes her new album, "Gadabout Season," inspires listeners to intentionally seek joy, calling it even more creative than her previous project. (June 12) (AP interview and production by Gary Gerard Hamilton)
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Brandee Younger hopes 'Gadabout Season' album spreads joy
Harpist Brandee Younger hopes her new album, "Gadabout Season," inspires listeners to intentionally seek joy, calling it more creative than her previous project. (June 12) (AP interview and production by Gary Gerard Hamilton)
New York Times
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Brandee Younger Has a New Secret Weapon: Alice Coltrane's Harp
Brandee Younger has noticed her audience changing lately. The harpist, composer and bandleader, whose elegant, groove-anchored sound has made her a standout presence in and around jazz in recent years, had grown accustomed to seeing a certain type of listener at her shows. 'It's, like, a Portland, 40s man,' she said with a smile during an interview last month at her East Harlem apartment, referencing demographic data on her fan base — not atypical for a contemporary jazz artist — furnished by her label. During recent tours, though, she started to notice an influx of 'young girls that are, like, so excited.' It's been an encouraging sight for Younger, 41, who said that growing up as 'this little Black girl playing harp' and devoting herself to classical studies while also keeping close tabs on hip-hop and R&B, she struggled to find role models. 'I want to grab their hands,' she said of these new converts. 'I want to nurture these 20-year-old girls, because I wish I had that — something like that — when I was 20.' Younger's latest batch of music, out Friday, feels like a nurturing, affirming message too. 'Gadabout Season,' her third album for Impulse!, offers the best encapsulation yet of the tasteful, subtly radical sonic hybrid that she has been honing since she picked up the harp at age 11. It's a persuasive argument for the vast, trans-idiomatic potential of her instrument. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
