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.
