I hope 2012 has been treating you well!  It has been great for harping so far, and here I am, playing catch-up right now!  I wanted to let you all know about some upcoming performances this month.  I will also be sure to keep my website calendar updated, as there are more February performances that I have not yet confirmed but will be up soon!  HAPPY FEBRUARY!

First, thanks to all that came to the Zinc Bar last month.  On a rainy day right after Christmas, I did not expect so many people and so much fun — I am so grateful for all of you!

Beginning this year in 2012, the Soulful Symphony is now the official resident ensemble at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center.  We had our first concert of the season there in the new space just this past weekend and it was INCREDIBLE! It’s always incredible, but this particular program featured Michael Jackson’s music and as long as I’m living, MJ will always be my #1!  Although I neglected to send an email out about the concert, our next one is February 24th, so if you’re in Baltimore, come out and enjoy the experience!  “Evolution of a People” by Darin Atwater.

February Dates with corresponding links:

February 2:  Dizzy’s Coca Cola at Jazz @ Lincoln Center with the Dezron Douglas Trio 11:00pm — NYC
February 3: ARTWALK @ Hartford Public Library, ‘Improvised Reflections’ Art Show Opening by Andres Chaparro; Harp & Bass duo. 6-8pm Free & Family Friendly! — Hartford
February 9: The Electric Room, Gigi Burris Millinery Fall Winter Presentation (fashion),  5-8pm duo — NYC (limited, send email for rsvp)
February 11: Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church with the Jay Hoggard Ensemble, 4:00pm — Hartford
February 12: Music Unboxed with the Nicole Camacho Ensemble, and students, 2:00pm — Long Island
February 17: Detroit Institute of the Arts, ‘Friday Night Live’, The Brandee Younger Trio, 7:00pm — Detroit
February 19: Detroit Institute of the Arts, Sunday Music Bar, The Brandee Younger Trio, 1:00pm — Detroit
February 24: Soulful Symphony at the Hippodrome, 8:00pm — Baltimore

I hope to see you sometime this month…or sometime soon!

Brandee Younger Quartet at the Zinc Bar

Brandee Younger, harp
Dezron Douglas, bass
Stacy Dillard, tenor sax
John Davis, drums

Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Sets at 8:00pm & 10:00pm

$10 at the door

Maria Callas would have been 88 today

Each blank, 5×7 lined journal has a hard front and back and 80 lined sheets. All paper and board is 100% post-consumer recycled.
$12.00

Thank you for visiting! Your purchase of this custom, novelty journal will help provide healthy, high-quality and affordable food for people in under served communities. A portion of this sale will be donated to Growing Power, Inc. to help build the world’s first five-story vertical farm that will provide people with fruits, vegetables and herbs year round. While they increase local food production, they will also create thousands of jobs. I am thrilled to support Growing Power’s work, the building of this vertical farm and the model that it serves for ecological sustainability.

Second only to playing the harp, I love to write, so I hope you enjoy keeping a journal as much as I do. Perhaps you will want to keep personal notes, write stories, musical ideas or record whatever thoughts you may have.

Brandee Younger, Harpist

Learn more about Growing Power, Inc, by visiting www.growingpower.org

For each journal purchased, one notebook will be donated to ‘Harps for Life,’ a foundation that provides harp access to students who are unable to purchase their own.

To listen and download music, visit Brandee’s Bandcamp Page. 

Extra Special Thanks to Tensei for making this remix of “So Alive”, available as a FREE DOWNLOAD! Thanks for your support!

*Donate Directly to Growing Power* 

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*For Bulk Orders, Please Email brandee.younger@gmail.com* 

J. Newsom’s Sprout & the Bean: Fun by harpista

Rapper’s Delight

The Message

Love on a 2 Way Street

This spring & summer has been full of great happenings.  I recorded my debut EP entitled “Prelude” with my amazing colleagues!  It’s pretty incredible how music gets shared from blog to blog, site to site & to radio stations…it even landed over in Germany.  Who knew Mercedes Benz had a music blog? Not me.

I was fortunate to work as the performing artist in residence at the Cicily Tyson School of Performing Arts this spring.  Working with Robbin Gordon Cartier and her children, really brightened up my spirits.  Graduation day was a beautiful lead into the summer…that is almost over already.

I taught at 2 really amazing harp camps:  The Elyrica Flute & Harp Camp in Ridgefield, Ct and CVHI in Simsbury, Ct.   At Elyrica, we had a chat about the many career options as a harpist.  Flutist Nicole Camacho & I also switched instruments and played a duet during the talent show.  I played flute and she played harp. We sounded awful, but it’s the spirit that counts! At CVHI, we had a wonderful workshop with Ray Pool!  I learned so much and am playing out of his books now.  CVHI was also my very first time attending a sleep away camp. In fact, they made fun of me and called me their “city mouse”.  I’ am not a country girl!  It was so good for me!  Both camps had the most incredible students.  I look forward to summers, where I get the chance to work with different students of all levels and ages.

In June, I was honored to play a concert at Bethany Baptist Church as part of their Jazz Vespers series. My quartet played concert of Alice Coltrane’s music and it featured Marcus Strickland on tenor sax, McClenty Hunter on drums, Eric Wheeler on bass — and yours truly.  My uncle even came from Atlanta, and sat in on a couple of songs with us!  Before the concert, I was on a panel led by pianist and scholar Courtney Bryan.  We talked about the role of spirit in music performance and composition.  It was a great night had by all.

In July, I was thrilled to play with the Miguel Atwood Ferguson Ensemble at Harlem Stage — if you don’t know about Miguel, definitely check him out on youtube or bandcamp! He writes the most ridiculous compositions and arrangements.  I am happy Los Angeles let NYC borrow him for a day   Here are a few photos & video from that concert, that featured Jose James, Pharoahe Monch & Zap Mama.  It also received a wonderful write-up in the NY Times.

Daily Merger Photos

Revivalist Photos

New York Times

There were so many great concerts right here in NYC this month!  I played an educational concert for the most wonderful, well behaved students at the Harbor Conservatory in Harlem, and played for Make Music New York!  That’s the one day where there is music ALL DAY, EVERYWHERE in New York City.  So much fun!  My jazz trio played in quite a few places and I played a few solo concerts as well.

I got to play a concert of French music with the Harlem Chamber Players.   We performed Ravel’s Introduction & Allegro, Ibert’s Deux Interludes and En’tracte, and also, Faure’s Impromptu for solo harp.  It was so much fun that we got to play an abbreviated program at the Dance Theater of Harlem.

In the midst of playing concerts and harp camping and teaching, I did manage to have a harp social. Yup!  The kids and I got together in the back yard, grilled food, ate fruit and played games.   They even volunteered to play…completely ON THEIR OWN. No force, no pressure – I simply had a harp out in the back yard

I know that this post has no photos, and that makes it BORING, but I was happy to be stuck here getting my hair braided, to be able to blog for a moment!  I am currently preparing for a trip to LA, where I’ll be playing in a 3 harp concert of the spiritual music of Alice Coltrane.  I’ll be there for the week and have been transcribing and notating music (I am finally forced to use Finale!) for the past few weeks.  Upon my return, I’ll be getting right back into the swing of things with the school year in session!

Enough rambling.  I’m looking forward to writing from Cali, and hearing about your summer!

XOXO

WHO KNEW THE BIRDS WOULD BE KEEPING MY SECRETS?

UNSPOKEN WORDS, SCATTERED ‘ROUND, BROKEN PIECES

CAN’T STOP MY DREAMS MISTAKES, I CAN’T WALK AWAY

IT’S ALL THE SAME.  IT’S ALL THE SAME.

OH, ALL THIS TIME I FEEL SO ALIVE. ALL THIS TIME I FEEL SO ALIVE.

WHO KNEW THE WORLD WOULD BE UNDER SUSPICION?

SHADOWS OF DOUBT, AM I LIVING WITHOUT?

OH, ALL THIS TIME I FEEL SO ALIVE…

ALL THIS TIME I FEEL SO ALIVE, YEA

OH, ALL THIS TIME I FEEL SO ALIVE

ALL THIS TIME I FEEL SO ALIVE

YEA OH WHO KNEW THE BIRDS WOULD BE KEEPING MY SECRETS?

YEA

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