It isn’t nearly enough to say that Brandee Younger picks up where jazz harp legends Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane left off.
She does. But she also does not. Younger’s work has always nodded to the women who established her instrument in jazz. But Younger’s own distinctively innovative approach to her instrument is unmistakable, whether she’s cutting across genres as a side player with performers ranging from Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, and Makaya McCraven to John Legend, Lauryn Hill, and Moses Sumney, or blending the sounds of R&B and hip-hop into her expansive vision of jazz.
Brandee Younger, harp
Rashaan Carter, bass
Allan Mednard, drums
Personnel other than Brandee Younger subject to change.
Younger has produced eight albums as a bandleader, the latest of which, Gadabout Season (her third for Impulse!), was released in June. Gadabout Season is Younger’s most personal album to date. “The album reflects the journey — the search for meaning and beauty amid life’s most complex moments, ultimately emerging with a deeper sense of self,” Younger says. “Musically, Gadabout Season is more creative and slightly more cerebral than my other works.” The album is as gorgeous, rich, and engaging as it is introspective. And like Younger’s live sets it illustrates the spirit of innovation and exploration that makes Younger a perfect fit in the Fine Arts Center’s forward-looking Next50 series.