THE HARPER TRIO – DIALOGUE OF THOUGHTS (Little Yellow Man Records) (2025)

“Led by electric jazz harpist and composer Maria-Christina Harper, the collection features original tracks inspired by her Greek and Egyptian musical heritage. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, ‘Dialogue of Thoughts’ reaffirms the trio’s boundary pushing and distinctive sound—spiritually charged, shimmering soundscapes and experimental tones that reimagine the harp’s place in jazz. Rather than placing the harp centre stage, Harper prioritises vivid musical conversation. Alongside drummer Evan Jenkins and saxophonist Josephine Davies, the trio favour free-form interplay thriving on contrast, urgency, emotional nuance, and a shared sense of spontaneity and creative freedom.”

Maria Harper is part of a long tradition of female jazz harpists following the likes of Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane and this is her second album following ‘Passing By’ in 2023. With minimal but impactful percussion on opening track ‘Quiet Mind’, Josephine Davies’ sax reminded me very much of Jan Garbarek’s Officium recording, creating a haunting atmosphere. ‘Walk’ is more up-beat, the ascending sax taking the lead, the harp content to stay in the background to a fine backdrop of drumming. Not so on ‘Ephemeral Now’ where the two lead instruments duet, the sax improvisation especially notable. With spoken dialogue ‘Inner Thoughts’ is a spooky, atonal piece. ‘Dialogue Fusion Politics’ is similarly risky, in the twilight zone of jazz, stopping and starting in a free blowing swirl of sound. ‘Madness While Trying to Meditate’ veers towards jazz rock before settling into a meditative eastern flavoured groove. ‘In Between Dreams’ is harp led, similar in (meditative) approach to ‘Quiet Mind’. ‘Sometime in Cairo’ uses eastern scales to good effect, a dreamy, meditative track backed by subtle percussion. The two part ‘Moving On’ completes the album with more dialogue; the second part is a beautiful way to finish the album.