Brandee Younger (born July 1, 1983) is an American harpist. Younger infuses classical, jazz, soul, and funk influences to the harp tradition pioneered by her predecessors and idols

Dorothy Ashby Dorothy Jeanne Thompson (August 6, 1932 – April 13, 1986), better known as Dorothy Ashby, was an American jazz harpist, singer and composer. Hailed as one of the most "unjustly under loved jazz greats of the 1950s" and the "most accomplish ...

and

Alice Coltrane Alice Coltrane (' McLeod; August 27, 1937January 12, 2007), also known by her adopted Sanskrit name Turiyasangitananda, was an American jazz musician and composer, and in her later years a swamini. An accomplished pianist and one of the few h ...

. Younger leads her own ensemble, performs as a soloist and has worked as a sideman for such musicians as

Pharoah Sanders Pharoah Sanders (born Ferrell Lee Sanders; October 13, 1940 – September 24, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of " sheets of sound", S ...

Jack DeJohnette Jack DeJohnette (born August 9, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer. Known for his extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians including Charles Lloyd, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, John Abercrombie ...

Charlie Haden Charles Edward Haden (August 6, 1937 – July 11, 2014) was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than 50 years. In the late 1950s, he was an original member of the ground-breaking ...

, Bill Lee and

Reggie Workman Reginald "Reggie" Workman (born June 26, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American avant-garde jazz and hard bop double bassist, recognized for his work with both John Coltrane and Art Blakey. Career Early in his career, Workman work ...

, and other popular artists including

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Eve ...

(''

Love in the Future ''Love in the Future'' is the fourth studio album by American singer John Legend. The album was released on August 30, 2013, by GOOD Music and Columbia Records. The album, executive produced by Legend, Kanye West and Dave Tozer, features guest ...

''),

Common Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally ...

(''

Finding Forever ''Finding Forever'' is the seventh studio album by Common, released on July 31, 2007, on GOOD Music and Geffen Records. Like Common's previous album, '' Be'' (2005), ''Finding Forever'' is primarily produced by Kanye West. The album debuted at th ...

''),

Ryan Leslie Anthony Ryan Leslie (born September 25, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur from Washington, D.C. He has produced singles for a number of prominent artists in a variety of genres, ranging from R&B, hip ho ...

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

Maxwell Maxwell may refer to: People * Maxwell (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** James Clerk Maxwell, mathematician and physicist * Justice Maxwell (disambiguation) * Maxwell baronets, in the Baronetage o ...

The Roots The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's '' The Tonight Show Starring Jimm ...

Moses Sumney Moses Sumney is a Ghanaian-American singer-songwriter. His self-recorded EP, ''Mid-City Island'', was released in 2014. He released another five-song EP in 2016, titled ''Lamentations''. His first full-length album, '' Aromanticism'', was release ...

and

Salaam Remi Salaam Remi Gibbs (born May 14, 1972) is a Grammy winning American record producer known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, Robby, Fugees, Fergie, Estelle, Black Thought, and Miguel, and for his reggae-tinged (often referred to as ...

. Younger is noted for her work with saxophonist

Ravi Coltrane Ravi Coltrane (born August 6, 1965) is an American jazz saxophonist. Co-owner of the record label RKM Music, he has produced pianist Luis Perdomo, guitarist David Gilmore, and trumpeter Ralph Alessi. Biography Ravi Coltrane is the son of sa ...

, who was featured on her 2019 release, ''Soul Awakening''. Currently, she records and tours with drummer and producer

Makaya McCraven Makaya McCraven (born October 19, 1983) is an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Life and career McCraven was born in Paris, France, to jazz drummer and Hungarian singer Ágnes Zsigmondi (of the band Kolind, and from the age of three was ra ...

, following the release of his 2018 recording ''Universal Beings''.

Current features

In April 2019, Younger's original composition "Hortense" was featured in the documentary ''

Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

'', by Beyoncé. The recording used was from an

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

Music Field recording released in 2013. Also in the spring of 2019, Younger was selected to present a spotlight performance on the second night of

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

' "Soundtrack of America", the series opening of The Shed in NYC, curated by

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...

and Quincy Jones himself. She was also featured in the series-opening concerts, alongside

Kelsey Lu Kelsey Elizabeth McJunkins (born May 12, 1989), known professionally as Kelsey Lu, is an American singer and cellist based in Los Angeles, California. Early life Kelsey Lu was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and had a strict Jehovah's Witness ...

and performed a feature with Moses Sumney. Her original work is also heard in the 2018

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

TV series ''

Random Acts of Flyness ''Random Acts of Flyness'' is an American late-night sketch comedy television series created by Terence Nance that premiered on August 4, 2018 on HBO. Additionally, Nance appears in each episode of the series which he also wrote, directed, and e ...

'', by filmmaker and director

Terence Nance Terence Nance (born February 10, 1982) is an American filmmaker, writer, director, actor and musician from Dallas, Texas. He is best known for his directing debut '' An Oversimplification of Her Beauty'', and as the creator of the avant-garde TV ...

Early life

Brandee grew up in

Hempstead, NY The Town of Hempstead (also known historically as South Hempstead) is the largest of the three towns in Nassau County (alongside North Hempstead and Oyster Bay) in the U.S. state of New York. It occupies the southwestern part of the county, on t ...

and

Uniondale, NY Uniondale is a census-designated place (CDP), as well as a suburb in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead. The population was 32,473 at the 2020 United States Census. Uniondale is home to Hofstra University's north ...

and began her harp studies as a teen under the tutelage o
Karen Strauss
She continued her studies with harpists Rebecca Flannery, Susan Jolles, Emily Mitchell, and bassist

Nat Reeves Nat Reeves (born 1955 in Lynchburg, Virginia) is an American jazz bassist. He resides in Hartford, Connecticut, and teaches at The Hartt School of the University of Hartford. He also performs internationally with a number of jazz artists. As a ...

. Younger went on to earn undergraduate degrees in Harp Performance and Music Business from

The Hartt School The Hartt School is the comprehensive performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford located in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States, that offers degree programs in music, dance, and theatre. Founded in 1920 by Julius Hartt and ...

of the

University of Hartford The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. The university attracts students from 48 states and 43 countries. The university and it ...

. While there, she was mentored by the faculty of the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz and African American Studies. Nate Chinen of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' noted that "Ms. Younger quickly found a kinship with Hartt's jazz program, run at the time by the august alto saxophonist

Jackie McLean John Lenwood "Jackie" McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, and is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their dea ...

. He told her to drop by whenever she wanted. 'So I did,' she said."Nate Chinen
"Brandee Younger, a Harpist Finding Her Way to Jazz"
''The New York Times'', February 29, 2016. Entering

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, ...

for graduate school six months later, she had already established an impressive résumé, having joined the harp faculty at the Hartt School Community Division, opened for

Slide Hampton Locksley Wellington Hampton (April 21, 1932 – November 18, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. As his nickname implies, Hampton's main instrument was slide trombone, but he also occasionally played tuba and flugelho ...

as a member of Hartford-based collective The New Jazz Workshop and developed a working relationship with Grammy-nominated producer and artist

and Grammy Award-winning producer

Omen An omen (also called ''portent'') is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient times, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages fr ...

. Building upon that foundation, Younger began working with saxophonist

on a series of concerts honoring the music of the late pianist, organist, and harpist,

. Younger is the cousin of an urban farmer and

MacArthur Fellow The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to between 20 and 30 ind ...

Will Allen. She is also the cousin of Jordan Younger, cornerback of the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

Career

Over time, Younger has built her career as an educator, concert curator, performer, and bandleader of the Brandee Younger Quartet. Her debut EP, ''Prelude'', was released in June 2011, having been recorded in an analog studio with Dezron Douglas, E.J. Strickland and vocalist

Niia Niia Bertino (born July 11, 1988), better known by her stage name Niia, is an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. Early life Niia was born in Needham, Massachusetts, and was trained by her mother in classical piano and began singing and ...

. The original standout track "So Alive" was later featured in the

Mercedes Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquarter ...

Mixed Tape compilation; Mercedes Benz lauded the track as "...a compelling soul-jazz composition, in which all instruments are melded to a haunting universe centered around Niia's celestial voice. Beguiling musical subtlety in these times of loudness." As a classical musician, Younger has been featured as a soloist with The Harlem Chamber Players and has performed with the

Hartford Symphony Orchestra The Hartford Symphony Orchestra (HSO) is an American orchestra based in Hartford, Connecticut. Overview The orchestra presents more than 100 concerts annually to audiences numbering more than 110,000. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s exten ...

Waterbury Symphony Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 202 ...

, Soulful Symphony, Ensemble Du Monde, Camerata New York and the Red Bull Artsehcro, a "non-conformist" orchestra. Younger was selected to be a 2013

Harlem Arts Festival The Harlem Arts Festival is an annual arts festival and arts nonprofit based in Harlem that began in 2012. The organization presented community-based music, dance, theatre, and visual artists at Marcus Garvey Park and the surrounding Harlem area. ...

artist and performed at

Marcus Garvey Park Marcus Garvey Park (formerly and also named Mount Morris Park) is a park on the border between the Harlem and East Harlem neighborhoods of Manhattan, New York City. The park, centered on a massive and steep outcropping of schist, interrupt ...

at the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater that year. In hip hop and R&B, Younger has worked with

and

, to name a few. Younger has released three other recordings as a leader, including the EP ''Prelude'', released in 2011, ''Live At The Breeding Ground'', released in 2014, and ''Wax & Wane'' from 2016. Since the 2011 debut of her ''Prelude'' EP, Younger released ''Brandee Younger Live @ The Breeding Ground'', a breakthrough performance on Blue Note Records, Revive Music's 2015 ''Supreme Sonacy'' Vol. 1 LP, and the 2016 ''Wax & Wane'' LP. An independent artist, Younger has self-managed throughout her career. She arranged and performed a track for Impulse Records' 2018 release ''A Day In The Life: Impressions of Pepper'' - a tribute to

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

' ''

Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composi ...

'', and she has performed on ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 2010� ...

'' with

and producer

. In August 2020, Younger contributed to the

live stream Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but ...

ed recording of the singer

Bilal __NOTOC__ Bilal may refer to: People * Bilal (name) (a list of people with the name) * Bilal ibn Rabah, a companion of Muhammad * Bilal (American singer) * Bilal (Lebanese singer) Places *Bilal Colony, a neighbourhood of Korangi Town in Karachi, ...

's EP '' VOYAGE-19'', created remotely during the

COVID-19 lockdowns Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions colloquially known as lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions) have been implemented in numerous count ...

. It was released the following month with proceeds from its sales going to participating musicians in financial hardship from the pandemic.

Work as an educator

Younger is on the teaching artist faculty (harp) at

and

The New School College of Performing Arts The College of Performing Arts, is part of The New School, New York City, NY. It was established in the fall of 2015 as part of major rebranding of the three performance arts colleges of The New School. The measure combined the Mannes School of ...

. She has taught at

Adelphi University Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. There is also a virtual, online campus for remote students. It is the oldest institution of higher edu ...

Nassau Community College Nassau Community College (NCC) is a public community college in Uniondale, New York, using the Garden City, New York ZIP Code. It was founded in 1959 and is part of the State University of New York. History Nassau Community College was crea ...

Community Division at the University of Hartford. She has lectured and conducted master classes at

The Royal Conservatory of Music The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher as The Toronto Con ...

(Toronto),

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingha ...

(UK),

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

Drexel University Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. Founded as Drexel Institute of Ar ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the n ...

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cou ...

, Elyria Summer Music Program, Connecticut Valley Harp Intensive, and NOLA Jazz & Pop Festival. She also serves as Symphonic and Jazz Harp Artist in Residence at the Cicely L. Tyson Community School of Performing and Fine Arts. Recent residencies include intensives at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private, Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-centu ...

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pu ...

Awards and titles

Younger was nominated for a 2022

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

for Best Instrumental Composition for her original composition "Beautiful is Black". In 2020, Younger was awarded "Player of the Year in Instruments Rare in Jazz" by the

Jazz Journalists Association The Jazz Journalists Association (JJA) is an international organization of all types of media professionals who document, promulgate, or appreciate jazz. As of 2016, it has approximately 250 members, including professional journalists, students, ind ...

. The same year she was named winner of the ''

DownBeat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' Critics Poll in the category of "Rising Star" harpist. She also was featured on ''DownBeat'' magazine's July 2020 cover along with Dezron Douglas and six other artists. Younger has received a handful of bylines for Revive Music and ''Harp Column Magazine'' and holds several leadership positions as a member of the Apollo Young Patrons Steering Committee, and Vice President of the Metro NYC and Long Island Chapters of the

American Harp Society The American Harp Society, Inc. (AHS) is a non-profit organization. Founded in 1962, the AHS is an organization of harpists with more than 3,000 members from all 50 states and 20 countries. The organization is currently led by President Lynne Aspnes ...

. She also serves as Director At Large of the American Harp Society, Inc. Stepping away from traditional venues to bring live performance to alternative spaces, in 2016 Younger served as curator of the weekly Harp On Park lunchtime concert series "highlighting the diversity of the harp and the contemporary importance of an ancient instrument" and in 2019, curated ''Her Song'', highlighting the works of women composers for

Arts Brookfield The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both h ...

. In 2017, she curated ''Divine Ella'', a concert dedicated to the legacy of

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, i ...

as part of the historic

Schomburg Center The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is a research library of the New York Public Library (NYPL) and an archive repository for information on people of African descent worldwide. Located at 515 Malcolm X Boulevard (Lenox Avenue) ...

for Research in Black Culture's annual Women's Jazz Festival. Brandee is among the musicians included in the book ''The New Face of Jazz''Cicily Janus
''The New Face of Jazz: An Intimate Look at Today's Living Legends and the Artists of Tomorrow''
Billboard Books, 2010. by author, Cicily Janus, "Freedom of Expression: Interviews With Women in Jazz", by Chris Becker and was also featured in the Impulse Artist Series' "Alter Ego Series" in November 2010, a young artist series created by classical pianist Jade Simmons.

''Soul Awakening''

Surfacing six years after its completion in 2013, this eight-track collection was recorded in 2012 under the direction of producer and bassist Dezron Douglas and embodies the ambition, vigor, and aesthetic ideals of The Brandee Younger Quartet, at and since its inception. A benchmark recording that captures the group's collective brilliance in its infancy, ''Soul Awakening'' is a synthesis of the people, places, and moments that impacted Younger most. The first album recorded by the ensemble, ''Soul Awakening'', marks the birth of Younger's artistic signature and the reemergence of the harp as a pillar of modern popular music. Younger and Douglas, alongside drummer E. J. Strickland and saxophonists Stacy Dillard and Chelsea Baratz, enlist a who's who of featured collaborators to best translate their ethos. In doing so, ''Soul Awakening'' becomes a full circle release for Younger that combines her band with two of her greatest mentors: saxophonists

Antoine Roney Antoine Roney (born April 1, 1963, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American tenor saxophonist, brother to trumpeter Wallace Roney. Allmusic profile/ref> He attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and the Hartt School of Music of the Unive ...

and Ravi Coltrane. Other notable contributors include drummer Chris Beck, trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, trumpeter Sean Jones, and vocalist Niia. ''Soul Awakening'' received a positive critical response. Nate Chinen of

stated: "In terms of both production value and musical substance, it feels like an artifact of our moment: celestial, groove-forward, unabashed about its alchemies of style." Briana Younger of the ''

New Yorker New Yorker or ''variant'' primarily refers to: * A resident of the State of New York ** Demographics of New York (state) * A resident of New York City ** List of people from New York City * ''The New Yorker'', a magazine founded in 1925 * '' The ...

'' wrote: "Her radiant playing is as cogent on hip-hop and R&B albums as it is set against classical and jazz backdrops." "The new album came about after Ms. Younger performed a tribute to Ms. Ashby commissioned by the Revive Music Group. She connected with

Casey Benjamin Casey Benjamin (born October 10, 1978) is an American saxophonist (alto and soprano), vocoderist, keyboardist, producer, and songwriter. He is a member of the Robert Glasper Experiment which won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album for their album ''B ...

of the

Robert Glasper Experiment Robert Andre Glasper (born April 6, 1978) is an American pianist, record producer, songwriter, and musical arranger with a career that bridges several different musical and artistic genres, mostly centered on jazz. To date, Glasper has won four ...

, who produced 'Wax & Wane' with a contemporary flair. '

Afro-Harping ''Afro-Harping'' is an album by jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby recorded in 1968 and released on the Cadet label. Reception Ron Wynn, in his review for Allmusic, calls the album "the best and most complete album done by jazz harpist (a rare style) D ...

,' which in Ms. Ashby's original 1968 version feels dialed into hippie frequencies, sounds on the new album like a post-Dilla instrumental, a remix in real-time." – Nate Chinen/''The New York Times''

Discography

As leader

*2011: ''Prelude'', Independent *2014: ''The Brandee Younger 4tet, Live at the Breeding Ground'', Independent *2016: ''Wax & Wane'', Independent/ Revive Music *2019: ''Soul Awakening'', Independent *2020: ''Force Majeure'', International Anthem *2021: ''Somewhere Different'',

Impulse! Impulse! Records (occasionally styled as "¡mpulse! Records" and "¡!") is an American jazz record company and label established by Creed Taylor in 1960. John Coltrane was among Impulse!'s earliest signings. Thanks to consistent sales and positiv ...

Compilation appearances

*2015: ''Supreme Sonacy'',

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Or ...

/ Revive Music *2018: ''A Day In The Life: Impressions of Pepper'',

As sideman/contributor

*2006: ''Cassie'', Cassie *2007: ''

'',

*2008: ''In This Day'', E.J. Strickland *2008: ''Overdose On Life'', featuring

Mickey Factz Mark Williams (born July 13, 1982), better known by his stage name Mickey Factz, is an American hip hop recording artist from the Bronx borough of New York City, New York. Early life Mickey Factz attended Adlai E. Stevenson High School, which is ...

, and

Travis McCoy Travis Lazarus "Travie" McCoy (born August 5, 1981) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is the co-founder and former lead vocalist of the rap rock band Gym Class Heroes, in addition to having a solo career. McCoy became involved w ...

from

Gym Class Heroes Gym Class Heroes was an American rap rock band from Geneva, New York. The group formed in 1997 when Travie McCoy met drummer Matt McGinley during their high school gym class. The band's music displays a wide variety of influences, including ...

Omen (record producer) Sidney Brown (born August 21, 1976), better known as Omen is an American record producer from Harlem. He has produced for artists such as Drake, Beyoncé, Action Bronson, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Fabolous, Vado, Memphis Bleek, Redman, Keith Murr ...

*2009: ''Of Song'',

Marcus Strickland Marcus Strickland (born February 24, 1979) is an American jazz soprano, alto, and tenor saxophonist. He was born in Gainesville, Florida, and grew up in Miami. ''Down Beat'' magazine's Critics' Poll named him 'Rising Star on Tenor Saxophone' in 2 ...

*2009: ''Blending Times'',

*2012: ''Retox'', Lakecia Benjamin *2012: ''Moments'', Michael Campagna *2013: '' New York: A Love Story'',

Mack Wilds Tristan Paul Mack Wilds (born July 15, 1989) is an American actor, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his roles as Michael Lee on the HBO original drama series, ''The Wire'', and as Dixon Wilson on the CW teen drama seri ...

*2013: ''Love in the Future'',

*2014: ''Face Forward'',

Jeremy Pelt Jeremy Pelt (born November 4, 1976, in California) is an American jazz trumpeter. Career Pelt studied classical trumpet as a child and focused on jazz after playing in a high school jazz ensemble. He studied at Berklee College of Music. Among th ...

*2016: ''Everything's Beautiful'',

Robert Glasper Robert Andre Glasper (born April 6, 1978) is an American pianist, record producer, songwriter, and musical arranger with a career that bridges several different musical and artistic genres, mostly centered on jazz. To date, Glasper has won fou ...

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

*2016: ''The Dreaming Room'',

Laura Mvula Laura Mvula ( Douglas; born 23 April 1986) is a British singer. A native of Birmingham, England, Mvula has gained experience as a young member or leader of a cappella, jazz/neo-soul and gospel groups and choirs. She was classically trained. I ...

*2016: ''Rebel/Find it Hard to Say'', Ms Lauryn Hill *2016: ''The Songbook Sessions: Ella Fitzgerald'',

Jane Monheit Jane Monheit (born November 3, 1977"Jane Monheit." ''Contemporary Musicians''. Vol. 33. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2001. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, 2017-05-07.) is an American jazz and pop singer. Early life Monheit was bo ...

*2017: ''

Bringin' It ''Bringin' It'' is a studio album by American jazz bassist Christian McBride together with his big band. The record was released on September 22, 2017 via the Mack Avenue label—both on CD and on LP. After ''The Good Feeling'', this is his sec ...

'',

Christian McBride Big Band The Christian McBride Big Band is a 17-piece big band whose debut album ''The Good Feeling'' received the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 2012. Background The group, along with the Roy Hargrove Big Band and the Mingus Big Band h ...

*2017: ''Residente'',

Residente René Pérez Joglar (born February 23, 1978), known professionally as Residente (often stylized as Resīdɛntə), is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as one of the founders of the alternative rap band Calle 13. ...

*2017: ''

Aromanticism #REDIRECT Romantic orientation#Aromanticism {{Wikidata redirect ...

'',

*2018: ''Universal Beings'',

*2018: ''Old Fashioned Gal'',

Kat Edmonson Kat Edmonson (born August 3, 1983) is an American singer and songwriter who calls her music vintage pop. Biography Early life and career Born and raised in Houston, Edmonson is the only child of a single mother who enjoyed songs from the Grea ...

*2019: ''Sex High'',

James Fauntleroy James Edward Fauntleroy II (born May 16, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Inglewood, California. He is best known for writing credits on tracks by high-profile artists such as Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, Kendrick ...

*2019: ''Resavoir'', Resavoir *2019: ''Dreams, Fairytales, Fantasies'',

A$AP Ferg Darold Durard Brown Ferguson Jr. (born October 20, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Ferg (stylized as A$AP Ferg), is an American rapper from New York City's Harlem neighborhood. Aside from his solo career, he is a member of the hip hop collec ...

Brent Faiyaz Christopher Brent Wood (born September 19, 1995), known professionally as Brent Faiyaz, is an American R&B singer. He rose to prominence after he was featured on the GoldLink single " Crew" alongside Shy Glizzy in 2016, which was certified 6 ...

*2019: ''Poetry in Motion'',

The Soul Rebels The Soul Rebels (also Soul Rebels Brass Band, Soul Rebels or The Rebels) are an eight-piece New Orleans based brass ensemble that incorporate elements of soul, jazz, funk, hip-hop, rock and pop music within a contemporary brass band framework. ...

*2020: ''Dreamers Do'',

*2020: ''I Think I'm Good'', Kassa Overall *2020: ''We're New Again'',

Gil Scott-Heron Gilbert Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) was an American Jazz poetry, jazz poet, singer, musician, and author, known primarily for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician ...

*2020: ''Pursuance: The Coltranes'',

Lakecia Benjamin Lakecia Benjamin is an American jazz, funk, and R&B saxophonist. Benjamin was born and raised in New York City. She grew up in a Dominican neighborhood in Washington Heights, Manhattan and played merengue, salsa, and Latin music. As a tourin ...

*2020:

Græ ''Græ'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Moses Sumney. The double album was released in two parts by Jagjaguwar. The first part was released digitally on February 21, 2020, followed by the full album, including its second ...

*2020: ''Lagos and Pepper Soup'', Michael Olatuja *2020: ''Universal Beings E&F sides'',

*2020: ''Black Love'',

ft. Teedra Moses & D-Nice *2020: ''Until this Day'',

ft. Case *2020: '' VOYAGE-19'',

*2020: ''Petestrumentals 3'',

Pete Rock Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned alongside DJ P ...

*2021: ''Private Space'',

Durand Jones & The Indications Durand Jones & The Indications is an American contemporary R&B and soul group founded by the core songwriting trio of singer Durand Jones, singer/drummer Aaron Frazer, and guitarist Blake Rhein. Formed in 2012, the band came to prominence as part ...

*2021: ''Talk Memory'',

BadBadNotGood BadBadNotGood (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian instrumental band and production team from Toronto, Canada. The group was founded in 2010 by bassist Chester Hansen, keyboardist Matthew Tavares, and drummer Alexander Sowinski. In 2016, they we ...

*2021: ''

Donda ''Donda'' is the tenth studio album by American rapper Kanye West, released through GOOD Music on August 29, 2021, with distribution handled by Def Jam Recordings, his last release with the label. West recorded much of the material at multiple ...

'',

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

References

External links

* * *
Brandee Younger NPR First ListenBandcamp Daily Feature''The New Yorker'' MagazineGreenwich House Music School ProfileBrandee Younger biography
AllMusic {{DEFAULTSORT:Younger, Brandee 1983 births American harpists American session musicians Living people University of Hartford Hartt School alumni Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development alumni University of Hartford Hartt School faculty Adelphi University faculty American jazz harpists Musicians from New York (state) People from Hempstead (village), New York Jazz musicians from New York (state) Impulse! Records artists Smooth jazz musicians Jazz harpists