On opening track ‘Quiet Mind’ the harp lines could even be a prepared piano line. But this isn’t avant-garde scrape a razor blade over raw gut. The nominative determinism of Maria-Christina Harper’s characterful trio are certainly back. Nor, to blend in a further observation quickly, is it safe. It isn’t useful to categorise all this as “spiritual jazz” a nebulous term at best although that labelling is likely inevitable. The only other harp led release this year I thought that was any good was Brandee Younger’s latest – her best to date, Gadabout Season.
This isn’t as good. But Josephine Davies’ hard blowing role on the second track is an antidote to too much fluffiness and celestial drift creeping in. ‘Ephemeral Now’ is more new agey to be fair although it folds into a sweet little melody that could be arranged to appear in any number of contexts elsewhere and I reckon is the best track.
The spoken word element of ‘Inner Thoughts’ as often with spoken word is a take it or leave it element on an album of instrumentals. ‘Dialogue Fusion Politics’ is a squally mess which actually is pretty listenable. Harper trio, chaos, mayhem – in the same sentence. Who knew? But throwing even more of a curveball ‘Madness While Trying to Mediate’ takes some of that energy, puts it in a blender and makes the mood clubbier.
But the band completed by Neil Cowley Trio drummer Evan Jenkins seem to paint on a bigger canvas in their ambitions than when they first burst on to an unsuspecting scene. And certainly it’s not something to its lasting credit you could pick up off the shelf like its soap powder or a packet of Cheerios or even more crassly add ludicrous beats to or think you are a genius and turn into the vapidity of nu jazz. There are vamps and there are Fender Rhodes to roam vamps after all and Harper trio don’t ever choose the easy escape hatch to exit out of.
Dates coming up include Southend (8 Nov) and Southampton (11 Nov). Read an interview with Maria-Christina Harper.
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