Matt Miller & Mike Shaw | 19 MAR 2026
If the lead instrument is a harp, then what more appropriate concert venue than a church? As was the case on Friday evening, March 13, 2026, for the Brandee Younger Trio—harp, bass, drums—at All Saints’ Episcopal for the final episode of the annual Jazz at All Saints’ Concert Series. The atypical though not unprecedented collaboration delivered an evening filled with sweeping melodies, rich harmonies, and masterful execution that might be best defined in one word: heavenly.
Younger opened the concert with an unaccompanied introduction of cascading, dreamy arpeggios. Her ability to highlight the particular notes of a melody with precision and clarity amid a flurry of supporting notes became apparent as drummer Allan Mednard entered with a subdued but persistent pulse played with mallets, joined soon after by double-bassist Rashaan Carter. The melody and form of the piece came into focus as its energy increased: Younger adding altered notes to her chord voicings, Carter mixing syncopated lines with grounding, pedalpoint bass notes, and Mednard switching to drumsticks. The piece rose to a climax, then settled to its conclusion; the capacity crowd, for the first of many times that night, erupted in applause.
Brandee Younger Trio at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Atlanta. L-R: Allan Mednard, Brandee Younger, and Rashaan Carter. (credit: Dustin Chambers Photography)
“Hellooooo…” Ms. Younger intoned into a microphone as the final notes of the piece and the echoes of applause continued to ring in the cathedral rafters. “It’s been about three years since we’ve been to Atlanta, which is way too long, so we’re thrilled to be here. What you just heard was an Alice Coltrane original. It’s one of her more obscure pieces. It’s a meditation, or more like a chant. It’s a piece that she would play on her Ashram in Agoura Hills, California, for the students there.”
The trio’s next effort, “Unrest,” was composed by Younger during the 2020 pandemic lockdown. “I originally wrote it for solo harp, but it didn’t sound ‘unresty’ enough,” Younger explained by way of introduction. “So I added a second movement for bass and drums.” The piece lived up to its title and her explanation, especially in the second movement, which culminated in an extended unaccompanied Mednard drumset solo.
Another composition by jazz harp innovator Alice Coltrane followed, “Turiya and Ramakrishna,” a piece that, like many by Alice and husband John, explores and lingers in one musical setting before transitioning to another via subtle but intentional harmonic pivot points. Younger, who is also deeply interested in and knowledgeable about the history of the music, explained that Alice Coltrane recorded this and other compositions in the basement studio of the Long Island home that she shared with John and their children in the 1960s. Much of that music wasn’t released until after John’s death in 1967, and some of the music has only recently been introduced to the broader public. “Oh my gosh, do any of you guys watch the TV show Atlanta?” Younger asked the audience. “This song is featured in its entirety in season two… just in case it sparks your memory.”
The blend of stillness and contemplation with musical motion in “Turiya and Ramakrishna” was the perfect vehicle for Carter, and his extended vigorous solo concluded to extended vigorous applause.
Ever the jazz historian, Younger was quick to shout out the undersung master harpist Dorothy Ashby following her stunning solo rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “If It’s Magic.” Ashby played harp on Stevie Wonder’s iconic Songs in the Key of Life, and Younger channeled her spirit on the piece while adding her own embellishments and interpretive elements. Fittingly, Younger has recently performed with Stevie Wonder on a number of occasions—a musical match made in heaven.
“Unswept Corners,” a track from Younger’s newest album Gadabout Season, began with a laconic line played on electric bass by Carter and a brushed accompaniment on Mednard’s snare drum. “We were trying to be grown and sexy with this one,” Younger explained before the trio started the piece. “You’ll tell us how we do.” The seven-minute performance maintained a sultry, slow-burn feeling throughout after Younger’s interpretation of the melody mixed with graceful arpeggiated harmonies. Toward the end of the piece, Carter contributed a bass solo that glided skillfully above and below Younger’s chord voicings and Mednard’s insistent ride cymbal.
Younger introduced the eponymous composition from her new album, Gadabout Season, with an explanation of the meaning of “gadabout,” the somewhat archaic term apparently unknown to many in the audience. The piece is aptly named, featuring a melody that flits restlessly and energetically above the driving rhythm of the bass and drums.
Throughout the evening, Younger’s chats with the audience served to endear her increasingly to the packed church pews, who responded enthusiastically to her invitation to remain afterward for a Q&A session. That is, after one last sonic journey: “We thought we’d leave you with a little Marvin Gaye,” she said in another nod to the heavens.
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EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Brandee Younger: brandeeyounger.com
- Jazz at All Saints’ Concert Series: allsaintsatlanta.org/music/jazz-at-all-saints
Mike Shaw is a singer-pianist who has performed for decades in News Orleans and Atlanta. He is the author of the novel The Musician and partners with pianist Kevin Bales on the podcast MusicLifeandTimes. He is the founder of Shade Communications, a marketing company. He can be found at mikeshawnow.com.
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