Label: Impulse! Records, 2023

Personnel - Brandee Younger: harp, vocals; Rashaan Carter: bass; Junius Paul: bass; Makaya McCraven: drums, percussion // Guests - Meshell Ndegeocello: vocals; Joel Ross: vibraphone, xylophone; De’Sean Jones; flute; Pete Rock: additional production, drum programming; 9th Wonder: additional production, drum programming; Mumu Fresh: vocals; Yuri Popowycz: strings.

Brandee Younger has no rival in today’s jazz harp world. Her music is contemporary, often spiritual, and terrifically eclectic with oodles of crossover currents that include soul, funk and hip-hop. Brand New Life, the follow-up to Somewhere Different (Impulse!, 2021), is a tribute to one of her harp heroes, Dorothy Ashby, whose music she approaches here from new angles. With drummer extraordinaire Makaya McCraven as producer and fully operational behind the kit, this session presents 10 concise tracks - some of them featuring guest artists.

The title track, a slick R&B cut enriched with modulation, has Baltimore-based singer Mumu Fresh at the front; Ashby’s “Livin’ and Lovin’ in My Own Way” is infused with trippy hip-hop flavors by the hand of DJ/rapper Pete Rock; “Dust” - another piece by Ashby - features Meshell Ndegeocello on vocals over the jumpy feel of a good reggae tapestry; and “The Windmills of Your Mind” - which was composed by Michel Legrand but included on Ashby’s 1969 album Dorothy’s Harp - welcomes additional production and drum programming from 9th Wonder.

Yet, my favorite Ashby-related numbers here are the album opener, “You’re a Girl For One Man Only”, a previously unrecorded song where Younger underlines the beauty of the melody over a chord progression that induces peace of mind; and “Running Game”, a soothing modal exercise made lovable through technical perfection and spiritual emotion.

Another highlight is Younger’s “Moving Target”, which, developing in seven, fuses funk, jazz and soul elements. You can hear syncopated trap beats, flute by De’Sean Jones, and an enthusiastic vibraphone solo by Joel Ross. The disc closes with a magical harp-only rendition of “If it’s Magic”, one of the most beautiful ballads composed by Stevie Wonder.

Younger carries on to explore her instrument on each piece, delving into the implications of delicately plucking or freely sweeping the chosen strings to optimum effect.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - You’re a Girl For One Man Only ► 06 - Running Game ► 08 - Dust

Label: Concord Jazz, 2020

Personnel - Nubya Garcia: tenor saxophone; Joe Armon-Jones: piano, Wurlitzer; Daniel Casimir: double bass; Sam Jones: drums + Ms Maurice: trumpet; Akenya: vocals; Cassie Kinoshi: vocals; Richie Seivwright: vocals + La Perna [Giovanna Mogollon: tambor alegre, vocals; Karen Forero: tambora, vocals; Diana Sanmiguel: guacharaca, maracas, vocals].

Following a pair of successful EPs, London-born saxophonist Nubya Garcia finally presents her full-length debut, Source. This collection of nine strongly flavored originals focuses on individual and collective power, being delivered in the company of her working quartet plus guests on selected tracks. Garcia, whose penchant for mixing spiritual jazz with soul music and smooth funk is remarkably effortless, opens the album with “Pace”, where cadenced bass pedals further expose the inherent spirituality and sturdy modal flair from the 1970’s. Preceding the deliberately tangled excursion of pianist Joe Armon-Jones, Garcia's reverb-drenched solo reaches higher peaks of eloquence here than on “The Message Continues”, a fluid maturation into neo-soul, rhythmically anchored by Daniel Casimir’s propulsive funky bass and Sam Jones’ colorful drumming.

Garcia’s eclecticism is patented on several numbers: “Source”, a Wurlitzer-soaked piece which was previously included on her When We Are EP and now arrives with explicit reggae and dub ambiances; “Stand With Each Other”, a riff-driven number rooted in the African tradition and featuring vocalists Cassie Kinoshi, Richie Seiwright, and Ms Maurice, who doubles on trumpet; “La Cumbia Me Está Llamando”, which takes us to Latin American territories with the help of La Perna, a female Colombian trio of percussionists/vocalists; and “Before Us: In Demerara & Caura”, in which an enchanting Afro-Cuban pianism entwines with a conscious post-bop lucidity. Besides the snappy unisons populating its head, the latter piece features Garcia in a warm, motivic and astoundingly pronounced improvisation.

Contrasting with the organic, dub-tinged expressions of “Inner Game”, “Together is a Beautiful Place” provides tender moments loaded with a soul-infused vibe that recalls Kamasi Washington.

Garcia doesn’t hide her admiration for Coltrane, Rollins and Shorter. However, she uses those influences and many more to create non-conflicting layers of sound that are entirely her own. This is where jazz tradition works with modern and eclectic sounds to explore new trends and currents.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Pace ► 02 - The Message Continues ► 08 - Before Us: In Demerara & Caura