This week we’re listening to harps. Over the weekend, I saw Mikaela Davis play at Austin Psych Fest and it occurred to me that I’ve never really seen anyone play the harp in person. I’ve been a longtime fan on Dorothy Ashby, one of the greatest jazz harpists of all time, so this experience got me thinking about harps. This week, we’re listening to only albums and artists that feature harps of different kinds. An excavation, if you will. If you know of any other harpists, send them my way.
We begin with the aforementioned Dorothy Ashby and Afro-Harping, one of my favorite albums of all time and one that I come back to again and again. I’ve featured her in Dinner Music in 2022 and again last year. The album is a testament to not only to Ashby’s playing ability, but also her undeniable talent for jazz and arrangement, with it’s dips in blues, bossa nova, soul and folk throughout. We move into Harping from indie band Holy Hive, whose Local Native-esque vocals float over, you guessed it, harping, by Mary Lattimore. The album also features guest vocals by SASAMI, who gives the album a sweetness. The band has been described as “the introverted alternative to Khruangbin” and I’d say that tracks, no pun intended. It would be a crime to talk about harps and not give space to Mary Lattimore’s own work, whose album Silver Ladders offers listeners an opportunity to transport, to step outside the self, to see the world a little differently. If you’re looking for something big, yet, small, something reflective and quiet, start here. We jump to Ethopia for Asnakech Worku’s self titled album in which she plays the krar, an ancient harp native to her country. Worku was a cultural icon in Ethopia as an actress, musician and dancer and made her way through life constantly questioning and breaking down barriers. This recording was made with Hailu Mergia and was re-released in 2018 by Awesome Tapes from Africa, whose release made it available to the globe for the first time. We end how we began — with Mikaela Davis, a classically trained harpist from upstate New York. Her album And Southern Star, which is named after her backing band, blends the soft tones of the harp into the hard tones of rock and roll, to quote the Pitchfork review, and liberates the harp from it’s traditional sound. Davis looks for new places to put the gentleness of the harp: the honky tonk, the Brooklyn club, the psych fest stage. And she has convinced me that it belongs there.
Enjoy.
The playlist
Monday
Afro-Harping - Dorothy Ashby (1968)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Tuesday
Harping - Holy Hive (2019)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Wednesday
Silver Ladders - Mary Lattimore (2020)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Thursday
Asnakech - Asnakech Worku (1975)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Friday
And Southern Star - Mikaela Davis (2023)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Pair with
Roasted tomato and garlic ricotta pasta. All of the harping has felt like an extreme comfort to me, so I’m pairing it with this comfort pasta with all the right notes of salt, fat, acid, heat.
Populis Wabi-Sabi. A really nice, really simple red wine blend from a favorite California winemaker. This one is generally accessible, I’ve found it at Whole Foods a few times. Light, chillable. Goes great with everything, every weather.
Essay: Traveling At The Speed Of The Soul. There’s an old idea that the soul travels at the speed of walking.
Thank you, thank you. Have a great week.
Also, I’ll be in New York in a few weeks! Any recs?
The Soul Rebels at the blue note on the 17th and
Cory Henry on the 22 sound fun.
If you don’t mind a NJ Transit ride Joe Russo’s Almost Dead in Asbury Park on May 17. They’re worth it.
See & Juliet on Broadway. Don’t be turned off by the jukebox musical. It’s really good! If you see it message me :)
Have a great visit to NYC!
Best thing about joining substack is getting these weekly recommendations - looking forward to listening to the playlist on the commute back!