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Brandee Younger featured on Montana Public Radio's 'Musician's Spotlight'

Posted: May 5, 2022 12:00 AM | By: Admin
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Harpist, composer, and recent Grammy® and NAACP Image Award nominee, Brandee Younger releases “Unrest” (Impulse! Records). The socially conscious two track digital single reflects upon the extraordinary uprising against police brutality and racial violence, aurally capturing the nations sociopolitical upheaval. Made possible by a grant from the Jazz Coalition and recorded at Van Gelder studios amid a pandemic and sweeping political change, Younger deftly captures the turmoil on the emotionally charged tracks and you can listen to them here.

Commenting on the two track release Younger says, “One thing is true for every person hearing this piece; we've all witnessed unrest as the nation grapples with its past and present - all in the midst of quarantine and major political change.” “Unrest” follows the 2021 release of her major label debut album, Somewhere Different, that garnered her a Grammy® nomination for Best Instrumental Composition for “Beautiful is Black” from the genre-busting set and a NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Jazz Album – Instrumental. 

In addition to her prowess as a bandleader, Younger straddles the line between the mainstream and the current jazz generation, exemplified by her work with jazz leaders and popular hip-hop and R&B luminaries including Ravi Coltrane, Kanye West, Maxwell, John Legend, Pharoah Sanders, Common, and Lauryn Hill. Her original composition “Hortense” was also featured in the Beyoncé documentary Homecoming.  

Montana Public Radio's John Floridis writes….Grammy Award nominated harpist and composer Brandee Younger joins host John Floridis by phone from Harlem to discuss her most recent recording "Unrest" inspired by the outpouring of concerns about social justice following the murder of George Floyd.

Brandee also discusses her early inspirations for becoming a harpist including Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby, her use of harp in the compositional process of her music and her passion for all things pizza.

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