As I said in my latest post, the harp is capable of so much more than people think. It seems that, often, we transfer our perception of the harp's romantic appearance to our expectations of its capabilities. Popular culture, too, has not helped the harp's image as anything other than an angelic instrument.
Nevertheless, I cherish moments when the harp transcends such perceptions and makes some differently fantastic music.
This is why I love jazz harp.
Upright bass, piano, and sax are all expected. But jazz harp is something I never would have imagined (and most people don't either). But man, it's gorgeous.
A few years ago, I discovered that Jakez Francois, the head of Camac harps, is a talented jazz harpist. I'd come across his videos on the internet and was blown away. I had never heard such a sound coming from the instrument I had come to know for so many years. It was wonderfully captivating and jazzy, with colors I hadn't really heard before on the harp. He took some of the greatest jazz compositions (from Thelonious Monk, Hoagy Carmichael, and Paul Desmond) and gave them a new sound on the harp.
Now, I invite you to enjoy this miraculous combination: harp and jazz (Plus, who doesn't enjoy a blue harp? You don't see that every day.)
Here, you can listen to Jakez Francois play Hoagy Carmichael's Georgia on My Mind on the jazz harp.
Here, he plays a jazz version of a well-known harp piece, The Minstrel's Adieu to his Native Land. This is actually a piece I know well, as I have played it before. It's quite interesting to listen to a piece I thought I knew so well, then to hear something completely different! It is, without a doubt, my favorite of all of his performances.
