by Dave Sumner, Bandcamp Daily
To listen to the work of Brandee Younger is to be forced to consider the question: Why isn’t the harp a more common instrument in jazz? In Younger’s hands, the instrument is as natural a fit for the genre as sax or drums, and Younger’s ability to give its sound a sense of presence and connectedness makes her one of the more compelling musicians in modern jazz. Her newest release consists of songs recorded in 2012, but they sound right at home in today’s scene, deftly incorporating spiritual jazz, hip-hop, and daring experimentalism. Ravi Coltrane and Sean Jones are two of the guests that join Younger, drummer E.J. Strickland and saxophonists Stacy Dillard and Chelsea Baratz on these sessions.