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Celebrated harpist and composer Brandee Younger has received the NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Jazz Album.” Younger earned the honor with her 2023 album Brand New Life.
The Image Awards celebrate Black brilliance across several artistic fields, and the award is the latest recognition for Younger’s widely-acclaimed album.
Brand New Life combines original works from Younger, reinterpretations of legendary harpist Dorothy Ashby’s work, and previously-unrecorded compositions by Ashby. A spellbinding onstage performer, Younger has translated songs off Brand New Life to stunning performances on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Series, Tamron Hall Show, and more.
Younger, a history-making composer herself in a genre that has remained largely male-dominated, continues Dorothy Ashby’s legacy on Brand New Life, utilizing the instrument to bridge genres and decades. The album also includes features by Pete Rock, 9th Wonder, and Meshell N’degeocello, with production by Makaya McCraven.
Celebrated as the premier harpist of her generation, Younger has broken new ground for harpists over the entirety of her career. She made history as the first Black female solo artist to be Grammy-nominated for Best Instrumental Composition, for “Beautiful is Black” from her genre-busting 2021 major-label debut album, Somewhere Different.
That same year the album also garnered an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Jazz Album – Instrumental. Younger will be embarking on a series of headlining shows across the U.S. and Europe this spring, and has just completed the first of a two-year run as a Resident Artist Director at SF Jazz.
Brandee Younger Tour Dates:
3/14 – Jacksonville, FL – WJCT Soundstage
3/15 – Philadelphia, PA – South
3/16 – Philadelphia, PA – South
3/26 – Paris, France – New Morning
3/27 – Salzburg, Austria – Jazzit
4/3 – Warsaw, Poland – Jassmine
4/4 – Gothenburg, Sweden – Nefertiti Jazz Club
4/10 – Savannah, GA – Savannah Music Festival
4/10 – Savannah, GA – Metal Building at Trustees’ Garden
4/11 – Savannah, GA – Savannah Music Festival
4/20 – TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht, Netherlands – Dutch Harp Festival 2024
4/21 – The Hague, Netherlands – Paard
6/10 – New York, NY – Blue Note Jazz Club
6/10 – New York, NY – Blue Note Jazz Club
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