The Spiritual Connection to the Harp
Brandee Younger has long been obsessed with the music of Alice Coltrane. For the modern jazz harpist, this isn’t merely an academic interest; it is a deeply personal, daily practice. Younger currently keeps Coltrane’s own harp in her home studio, playing it every day as a way to communicate with the spirit of the legendary musician who profoundly shaped her life and career. Growing up on Long Island, Younger yearned for a connection to her hero, even writing letters to Coltrane during her freshman year at The Hartt School that she never dared to send.
That connection finally materialized in 2007 when Ravi Coltrane, Alice’s son, invited Younger to perform at a memorial for the late jazz icon at St. John the Divine. “It was my first introduction to the Ashram singers too,” Younger recalls. “I was in grad school and it was the pivotal moment in my life. She had influenced me in so many ways, even just by being a Black woman and playing the harp. Period.”
Honoring the Masters: Coltrane and Ashby
Younger, who has released eight albums as a bandleader including 2025’s Gadabout Season, is widely considered the foremost modern jazz harpist. Her work is deeply informed by the legacies of both Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby. Younger views these two women as the interchangeable pillars of the instrument, often drawing on their techniques and arrangements to inform her own compositions.
Regarding Ashby, Younger notes, “Seeing how often she’d take a pop tune and do covers, it gave me permission to be like, ‘Okay, so I can do this cover here.’ I appreciate listening to what she does, not just on an improvisational level, but on an arrangement level.”
Essential Recordings and Artistic Evolution
Younger’s appreciation for the canon is vast. She points to Alice Coltrane’s A Monastic Trio as a masterclass in grief and beauty, noting the significance of the 18-karat gold leaf Lyon & Healy harp John Coltrane gifted his wife shortly before his passing. She also highlights “Blue Nile” from Ptah The El Daoud as the track that first opened her eyes to the rhythmic possibilities of the harp within a jazz context.
Similarly, Younger finds endless inspiration in Dorothy Ashby’s work, particularly the funky, Afro-Latin grooves found on Afro-Harping. “She’s really playing a little bebop harp,” Younger explains. “So a song like ‘Soul Vibrations’ that’s like one chord, I’m like, ‘Please teach me how to improvise over one chord!’ to just hear her ideas.”
By blending these historical influences with her own unique voice, Brandee Younger continues to push the boundaries of the harp, ensuring that the legacy of her predecessors remains vibrant and relevant for a new generation of listeners.