Amanda Whiting: The Liminality of Her
Author: Gail Tasker
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Musicians: |
Amanda Whiting (hp) |
Label: |
First Word |
Magazine Review Date: |
April/2024 |
Media Format: |
LP/DL |
Catalogue Number: |
Records/Bandcamp |
RecordDate: |
Rec. date not stated |
The Liminality ofHer is the third album by increasingly prolific Welsh harpist Amanda Whiting, following on from her Jazzman Records releases After Dark (2021) and Lost in Abstraction (2022).
The rhythm section, a common thread throughout her discography, consists of a tight unit of seasoned musicians from the Welsh jazz scene, with Aidan Thorne on bass, Jon Reynolds on drums, and Mark O’Connor on percussion.
In accordance with the album title, Whiting demonstrates how her instrument can be both percussive and rhythmic as well as enchantingly fluid. In tracks like 'Liminal' and 'No Turning Back', she is one with the rhythm section, hammering out deep bass grooves and chord hits. On 'Waiting To Go', the harpist leans more into the spiritual jazz roots of her instrument, sending out cascades of arpeggios beneath the melodious reflections of long-time collaborator Chip Wickham on flute.
The single 'Intertwined', released ahead of the album and featuring the dreamy vocals of PEACH., is a somewhat unconventional blend of Debussy-like swells and nu-jazz energy, identifying Whiting as a jazz musician who is marking her place in the harp canon.
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