Brandee Younger Trio

The Vermont Jazz Center presented harpist Brandee Younger on January 18th, 2025 with her working trio of Rashaan Carter on electric and acoustic basses, and Allan Mednard on drums. The peripatetic Younger had just returned from a tour where she had traveled from London to Hamburg, from the BRIC Festival in Brooklyn to the University of Michigan, from the Netherlands to Portugal, from Australia to Brussels and beyond.

Brandee is passionate about the harp’s role in the jazz tradition; one of her goals is to correct the inaccuracies of our misconceptions. She pulls us away from the generalization of associating “naked baby angels” with her instrument, proving how much more there really is to the harp once we get beyond the standard clichés. One way she accomplishes this is by tirelessly promoting the music of Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane, the two jazz harpists who influenced her the most. Another way she pushes our expectations is by pushing the harp’s rhythmic and interactive traits. An inherent part of her sound is locking in with the rhythm section. Along with bassist Rashaan Carter and drummer Allan Mednard, Younger’s trio has developed a language that focuses on both developing serious grooves (some influenced by hip-hop and soul) and deft use of dynamics. As you will hear if you click below, these three musicians are masters of balancing rhythmic intensity and meditative calm.

Younger’s flexibility is her calling card. In an interview with the Tameron Hall show in 2023, she recalled, “even as a kid I wanted to play others’ styles…For a recital, my mom would say, ‘play what you’ve been practicing, but also play something we’ll recognize.’ Over time, I became comfortable about blending those worlds.” Today, Younger is recognized across the genres. In 2022, she was nominated for two Grammy Awards. She is alsothe winner of a 2024 NAACP Image Award: Outstanding Jazz Album for her album Brand New Life. Her career includes recordings and touring opportunities with such cultural icons as Common, Lauryn Hill, John Legend, Pharoah Sanders, and Christian McBride. Younger has made it a point to reach out to new audiences, exposing a multigenerational cache of listeners to her compelling sound and concept.

~Eugene Uman