TERRY GROSS, HOST:
This is FRESH AIR. The harp has never been commonplace in jazz, but it's not a novelty either. In the '50s, Dorothy Ashby pioneered a space for the instrument, mastering bebop, soul, jazz and other hybrids. Alice Coltrane, a high school classmate of Ashby's, received a harp as a gift from her husband, the legendary saxophonist John Coltrane, and she used it to create a style often called spiritual jazz.
Brandee Younger follows in their footsteps, using the harp in many styles of jazz and popular music. For instance, she's played on sessions with Common, Lauryn Hill and The Roots. Younger's own music embraces a broad range of jazz and jazz-adjacent styles. On her new recording "Gadabout Season," she plays Coltrane's instrument and updates the style of the great harpist's early recording.
(SOUNDBITE OF BRANDEE YOUNGER'S "RECKONING")
MARTIN JOHNSON: That's Brandee Younger's song "Reckoning," the lead track on her new recording. There are a few trends that distinguish jazz in the 2020s as the rise of the harp. Its shimmering grace is perfect for the textural focus of so many composers, and the instrument's history as a cornerstone of spiritual jazz and as a jazz ambassador in related genres provide the perfect entrance for Brandee Younger on the scene. She's championed the work of her artistic foremothers, and she's played on sessions with Common, Lauryn Hill and The Roots. In that regard, she has many allies among young musicians who dote on different styles. Here, she's joined by fellow rising stars Shabaka, Makaya McCraven and Joel Ross on the title track.
(SOUNDBITE OF BRANDEE YOUNGER'S "GADABOUT SEASON")
JOHNSON: Unlike Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane, Younger is not alone among harpist. There are others, like Edmar Castaneda, Destiny Muhammad, Isabelle Olivier, to name a few. Younger's style definitely uses her instrument's full range. She can give it an assertive weight of a guitar or austere reserve of electronic instruments. The harp's ability to be both chordal and percussive enables her to move freely in a tune. But as a soloist, she can command center stage, as she does on "Breaking Point."
(SOUNDBITE OF BRANDEE YOUNGER'S "BREAKING POINT")
JOHNSON: But that's about as insistent as Younger gets. This recording, more so than her others, delves deeply into the spiritual side of jazz. It's not laid back, but it is elegantly minimal music that invites contemplation. It's as if she's creating a safe space for reconsideration, which Alice Coltrane's late '60s and early '70s recordings did. But as she demonstrates on "New Pinnacle," rather than retro, it feels very of the moment.
(SOUNDBITE OF BRANDEE YOUNGER'S "NEW PINNACLE")
GROSS: Martin Johnson writes about jazz for The Wall Street Journal and DownBeat. He reviewed Brandee Younger's new album "Gadabout Season."
Tomorrow on FRESH AIR, my guest will be Rob Reiner. We'll talk about directing the new sequel to "Spinal Tap," the groundbreaking mockumentary about a heavy metal band. We'll also talk about Reiner's remarkable life and career. He directed "When Harry Met Sally," "The Princess Bride," "A Few Good Men," "Stand By Me" and more and was a star of the sitcom "All In The Family." I hope you'll join us.
FRESH AIR's executive producer is Danny Miller. Our technical director and engineer is Audrey Bentham. Our managing producer is Sam Briger. Our interviews and reviews are produced and edited by Phyllis Myers, Roberta Shorrock, Ann Marie Baldonado, Lauren Krenzel, Monique Nazareth, Thea Chaloner, Susan Nyakundi, Anna Bauman and John Sheehan. Our digital media producer is Molly Seavy-Nesper. Our consulting visual producer is Hope Wilson. Therese Madden directed today's show. Our cohost is Tonya Mosley. I'm Terry Gross.
(SOUNDBITE OF BRANDEE YOUNGER'S "NEW PINNACLE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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