Ended Tuesday and started Wednesday after a walk in the rain with Wax///Wane by Lucien Johnson, released on Deluge Records in 2021

Graham Reid wrote on Elsewhere:

The hypnotic sound of the opening piece here, Magnificent Moon, on this album under the name of Lucien Johnson – the Wellington-based, global-traveller and highly acclaimed composer/saxophonist – should be persuasive enough for anyone to want to continue.

On an album inspired by the phases of the moon and natural phenomena, Johnson and his excellent, empathetic friends (vibes player John Bell, harpist Michelle Velvin, bassist Tom Callwood, drummer Cory Champion and percussionist Riki Piripi) evoke a spiritual jazz of the kind rarely heard from New Zealand artists...

https://www.elsewhere.co.nz/jazz/9787/lucien-johnson-wax-wane-deluge-digital-outlets/

https://lucienjohnson.bandcamp.com/album/wax-wane

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73LNZPZ3Slc&list=OLAK5uy_lKI_Mm_oAm7Fi8M8w7T6Yh5BeRkEp9jNk&index=1

#LucienJohnson #jazz #KiwiJazz #NewZealand #Wellington #TenorSaxophone #SopranoSaxophone #jazzharp

Harp, Skip & Jump by Gene Bianco And His Group featuring Mundell Lowe released in 1958 on RCA Camden

I love some jazz harp, especially accompanied by Mundell Lowe on guitar with some vibes from Joe Venuto too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh6DnDUy8Kw

#genebianco #mundelllowe #jazzharp #harp #vibes

Little Sunflower
by Amanda Whiting released on Jazzman Records in 2020

A selection from Amanda Whiting's early self-released CDs, including a lovely version of Juan Tizol's Caravan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1XtX0gKXI4

#amandawhiting #harp #jazzharp #jazzmanrecords

Ended yesterday and started Friday after a walk with Moxie the cat with After Dark by Amanda Whiting released on Jazzman in 2021.

"Taking cues from Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane at their most delicate, renowned Welsh harpist Amanda Whiting’s mesmerising Jazzman full-length LP After Dark arrives as soft as moonlight to gladden the soul and delight the ear—without forgetting to bring the swing.

Summoning the nocturnal mood suggested by the album’s title, Whiting’s harp flows and cascades, dances and alights, broods and haunts, informed by a deep understanding of both classical and jazz music, ultimately revealing a top-drawer composer with rare melodic gifts at the top of her game. From the melancholy opening track ‘Time Stands Still’..."

https://amandawhiting.bandcamp.com/album/after-dark

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6LlFZurlTM&list=PLjg4AbVKk3EweoIHtdsekzbxVWEz2-rN3&index=1

#amandawhiting #jazzharp #jazzmanrecords #ChipWickham #harp

Slipped into sleep and greeted the Monday off work with Lost in Abstraction by Amanda Whiting, released on Jazzman Records in 2022

".‘Lost in Abstraction’ was written during a period of the unknown when Whiting, like most, explored her own sense of self. The world paused, with no timeframe, and the fragility of life was laid bare. A time when humanity was left searching for purpose. Freedom and the dependable structures of familiarity were dissolved in most aspects of life. But music stayed constant. Creativity kept weaving its thread, connecting music and its makers in an indissoluble bond..." - Bandcamp Description

https://amandawhiting.bandcamp.com/album/lost-in-abstraction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erTor7ywqUA&list=OLAK5uy_m2AkR0G7Wc4yLJyEHTevVh4lzdoIS1c1A&index=1

#jazzharp #jazzmanrecords #2022inmusic #amandawhiting #ChipWickham #welshmusic #welshjazz

Beyond The Midnight Sun
by Don Leisure with Amanda Whiting released by First World records in 2023

"The project is a journey down the road that was revealed to me on 'All Praises Due' on 'Shaboo Strikes Back'. Amanda's willingness and eagerness to continue collaborating was a dream come true. Being able to get harp parts from someone who is so open minded is such a rare treat that a deeper project was inevitable.

I wanted to move in a different direction from the beat tape format on my previous releases while still maintaining the core Don Leisure sound, fused with live instrumentation and vocals etc". - Don Leisure

'Beyond The Midnight Sun' is a 7-track affair comprised of delectable spiritual jazz fused with hip hop beats, psychedelic electronics and a touch of soul. -Bandcamp

https://donleisure.bandcamp.com/album/beyond-the-midnight-sun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AArKZ6MhTD8&list=OLAK5uy_n14QdLmsNbaTqAsz1GGJBd4a7cr4d1fOU

#amandawhiting #donleisure #jazzharp #spiritualjazz #hiphop #welshmusic #2023inmusic #DeborahJordan

🎵✨

#DorothyAshby

#AfroHarping

#JazzHarp

#JazzLovers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojuz4XlxKmM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gN9nBwco84

https://www.radiofrance.fr/francemusique/podcasts/maxxi-classique/les-sonorites-magiques-de-la-harpe-de-berlioz-a-dorothy-ashby-4507548