The harp is probably the most ignored instrument in jazz, usually identified with the avant garde strummings of Alice Coltrane, and then forgotten for anything that swings along with Dorothy Ashby. Brandee Younger makes the harp not only swing, but she even brings it into the hip hop urban world of sounds on this satisfying album with drummer Allan Mednard and electric/acoustic bassist Rashaan Carter/Dezron Douglas as a core unit, and bringing in Anne Drummond/fl, Chelsea Baratz/ts, Tarriona Ball/voc Marcus Gilmore/dr prog and even bass legend Ron Carter.
The woodwinds create a dreamy atmosphere along with some exciting electric bass work by Douglas supporting the beautiful harp strings on “Reclamation” , with trumpeter Maurice Brown giving some post bop ideas on the evocative “Spirit U Will”. The team of Douglas and Younger on these two pieces is exquisite, but you’re going to get any complaints here when Ron Carter jumps on stage for a hip trip of “ Olivia Benson” or lovely “Beautiful Is Black” with some deft brush work by Mednard undertow. The trio setting of Rashaan Carter is graceful on “Tickled Pink”, while his switch to the electric bass teamed with Gilmore’s programming results in a mix of rich droplets and hip hop on the cleverly successful “Somewhere Different”. Albums like this make you want to see the band, when’s the tour?!?