Impulse!, 2021

Harpist Brandee Younger’s Somewhere Different comes steeped in jazz tradition – her first album for the iconic Impulse! label, it was recorded at the legendary Van Gelder Studios and features a guest appearance by veteran bassist Ron Carter. Of course, it’s no coincidence that Carter worked extensively with Alice Coltrane - Brandee’s reverence for Coltrane’s pioneering role in bringing the harp into jazz are very much in evidence in the album’s mellow, meditative tone. Yet, with elements of hip-hop, funk and R&B pulling it in new directions, it’s also an ultra-modern, 21st century update on the spiritual jazz tradition.