Jazz Harp With Heart
There are few harpists in jazz music history (Deborah Henson-Conant, Corky Hale and famous Swiss harpist Andreas Vollenweider, etc.). However, there is definitively only one jazz harpist, Lori Andrews, who has managed to turn this traditional stringed instrument into a unique sound experience encompassing R&B, funk and Latin rythms.

 

 

 
     
 

.In her hands the harp then becomes a funky jazz instrument with incredibly wide musical and rhythmic possibilities. It can sound either as a bass or as a keyboard sometimes. Well, with Lori Andrews, get into the magic of swinging and flowing jazz harp.

Akbar Nour : Dear Lori, it is a great pleasure to have you on www.smoothjazznow.com! You have redefined the boundaries of harp, by turning this traditionally classic instrument into a unique funky sound experience. How did it occur?
 
  
   


Lori Andrews : Funny you should ask! My college harp teacher, the 2nd harpist in the Philadelphia Orchestra, said I was trying to play the Handel Harp Concerto with too much swing! I found out that you can’t really dance to Handel… LOL! I was playing and studying classical music on the harp but listening to more jazz and R&B. It didn’t occur to me until after I graduated that I could incorporate other genres of music into the harp, music that better suited me, stylistically. I wanted people to know that harp wasn’t just for breakfast anymore -LOL!
 
Akbar : You have studied classical harp and then piano for many years while you completed your studies. And then, instead of joining an orchestra or playing a classical repertoire, you found yourself working as a musician with your own quartet in a restaurant in Atlantic City. Wasn’t it too difficult to be thrown in the “real world” coming from a classical harp background?
 
  
Lori : It was definitely something I had to learn to adapt to. After receiving degrees in classical harp and piano, as well as music education at Temple University in Philadelphia, I got my first “gig” at Caesars Casino in Atlantic City. I was actually working as a solo performer and, unfortunately, Clair De Lune was not one of the more popular requests in the Palm Court Restaurant. It was there that I started playing more pop music, which certainly turned out to be more lucrative… high rollers flipping black chips at me to play the latest Frank Sinatra tune… I learned fast!
 
Akbar : And you spent 7 years performing in this restaurant. What are the best memories of this period?

Lori : Well, if you must know, by the time I left the gig, even though I was the harpist, I was making Caesars salad and banana flambé tableside for customers! I actually did play the harp in between cooking for, dining with, and seating people. It was such a PR gig, I just had a hand in everything and loved it. Plus, the wait staff was Italian, and being half Italian myself, they made me speak only Italian to them in the restaurant. To me, this was the gig of the century! I had so much fun, got paid very well and had the respect of my management company as well as the casino heads. I can’t imagine a first professional musical experience gets any better than mine. My repertoire was growing as well, and I was branching out into doing more jazz standards.

Akbar : Could you tell us briefly how you use both of your hands and feet to play such a difficult instrument as the electric harp? What is your musical technique?

Lori : Well, I can tell you a little about the “slap bass technique” I developed. Example: in a basic song that is in 4/4 time, I play the bass notes on beats 1 & 3 and use the palm of my left hand to slap about an octave of bass strings on beats 2 & 4. I have to be the only harpist to have callouses on my palm! It’s very percussive and I use it for ballads as well as swing, funk and latin tunes. As far as the use of hands and feet, for your readers who are not familiar with the harp, there are 7 pedals, one for each note of the scale. Each pedal moves into 3 different slots to allow for that note to be made sharp, natural or flat. I am constantly thinking ahead to get my feet to where they need to be. I always said tap dance lessons should be a prerequisite to playing the harp!
 
Akbar : Your main influences for your harp’s playing style seem to be bassists and keyboardists. Which musicians have been your main influences?

Lori : There are a few jazz harpists I have been influenced by as I was studying - Dorothy Ashby and Corky Hale being 2 of them. However, I learned a great amount of jazz by listening to jazz pianists like Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson and Bob James, as well as other jazz greats like Pat Metheny and Michael Brecker. I was not only learning how to play jazz, but how jazz works - improvization, song form, comping for soloists, soloing etc.

And bass… well, who doesn’t love a great bassist - as a rhythmic, as well as, a melodic instrument? I must… I married one of the great ones (Bart Samolis)! Furthermore, I owe my “slap bass technique” to listening to too much Marcus Miller! Well, you can never really listen to “too much” Marcus. Rhythm and time in music are very important to me. I want a drummer to love playing with me because my time is strong and in the pocket. This is something you’re not necessarily taught in classical music. Not that classical musicians don’t have rhythm, but the music is driven by a conductor with rubatos and more moving passages. It’s very important in contemporary music to have good “time”.
 
Akbar : What is peculiar is that you had several musical assignments in Japan, where you have become quite well known and where you CDs are also distributed. How did this amazing experience come to fruition?

Lori: I met my contact while performing at the Newport Beach Jazz festival with the JazHarp Quartet. Yoshi Sakai was in the audience from Japan and approached us saying he had a good friend in Tokyo, Nozomi Tsutsui, who was starting a record label there (Kanzen Records). He was instrumental in getting our CD “No Strings Attached” to Nozomi and we toured Japan a few years ago promoting that CD. We are about to tour there again at the end of this year to promote the latest CD “After Hours”.
 
Akbar: You have been touring with the same quartet for years (a saxophonist, a bassist (Bart Samolis is your husband now) and a drummer). Why did you choose these specific instruments?

Lori : Well, hearing bass and drums is just in my blood. I thought sax would add a lot to the mix as an instrument to comp for and a strong instrument for melody lines etc. I didn’t want to use another stringed instrument like guitar or violin, I really wanted a clean, well defined strong instrument like sax for a different texture in the band.
 
Akbar : I assume that you have had difficulties in signing recording contracts with jazz labels, as jazz harp is so unusual for them. Did this or any others lead you to create your own label, JazHarpRecords?

Lori : Yes, it did. We could really use more harpists who are interested in playing jazz! It’s so rare, unless you’ve heard it, how would you know it exists or if you even like it?  It turns out that having my own label has been a real benefit.  I have complete artistic control of every process involved in producing a record.  There are no label “executives” making musical decisions for me.  And for something as unique as jazz harp, I feel it’s vital that I be allowed to keep the “art” intact.  There have been major label jazz groups in the past that have taken back control – The Yellowjackets, for example, produced a 2 CD set under their own label, I believe.  And the truth is, financially, in this digital age, I am so much better off as an independent artist.
 
Akbar : Well, so far you have had a rich career (several CDs released; harp coaching; recording for TV). You have performed live for two US presidents (Clinton, Ford) and for many stars (Steven Spielberg, Barbara Streisand, Elizabeth Taylor, etc). Whom did you impress the most? Are there any memories of these encounters you would like to share with our readers?

Lori : Actually, “After Hours’ is the 8th release of JazHarp Records. I have 3 solo CDs and 5 band CDs. I have had a lot of fun with my music. Residing in Los Angeles, you never know what the next phone call will be and I am fortunate to have had so many exciting opportunities here. I am asked to play for entertainers and movie stars all the time and I am honored. It’s also the most wonderful feeling to have such an attentive audience…and scary as well!

One of my favorite stories is when I played a song for “some guy” at an event who said his name was Bob James. I explained to him that there is a very famous piano player by that name and proceeded to play a tune for him off the “One on One” album (Bob James and Earl Klugh). As I was playing, I realized that this probably WAS that Bob James. I started sweating and could barely concentrate enough to get through the rest of the song. When I was finished, I said to him “You ARE that famous Bob James aren’t you? Why didn’t you tell me?” He just humbly said that he didn’t know what to say!

Akbar : Now, let us come back to your latest album "After Hours". It is a dazzling piece of urban contemporary jazz. As its title indicates, the album catches late night city atmospheres. Can you tell us what you wanted to express through this CD’s title?

Lori : Well, Bart wrote all the songs. Sometimes, the toughest thing to do is to name a song you are too close to. So we did this process together and tried to create a "musical vibe" that tells a story we may have envisioned through our listening. I think the truly beautiful part of any art is that the impressions are completely subjective.  In music, each listener will have a different experience every time they listen to it, depending on the mood.  That's what makes music (or any art) so special. I think "After Hours" tells the story of experiencing all a city has to offer, from the funky highs to the sexy lows. Grooves play a big part of night life in any city, large or small, and sometimes, it's just one's imagination that takes you there LOL! 

Akbar : Could you tell us few words on the musicians of the JazHarp Quartet and on Mark Hollingsworth (is he part of the Quartet or only a guest star)?

Lori : Yes, Mark Hollingsworth has been a member of the band for many years as well as Kurt Walther, the drummer. They are both very well respected Los Angeles based musicians and touring artists.  My husband, Bart Samolis on bass is a very successful recording session player for TV, movies and record dates. We played music together for many years before we dated. It didn't take me long to realize I was dating my best friend and we married 13 months later. When you play music together, I think it brings you into a special bond. And it's also very forgiving when one of you isn't having the best musical evening. We are asked to play in many different combinations - quartet, trio, duo, and solo harp. I enjoy all aspects of playing with any members of my band, feeding off the other energy that sax and drums bring to the music, and I especially love the duo of Bart and me, just bass and harp. It's a very intimate thing. 

M.B Gordy is a great friend, besides being on every one of my band CDs and I couldn't think of a better percussionist to ask to be a guest artist on "After Hours".

Akbar : A fun aspect of this album is that you have invited two creative women named Lori Andrews (!) to take part to this project. Los Angeles artist Lori Andrews did the album’s layout (cover art depicting Los Angeles by night) and mystery writer Lori Andrews wrote the liner notes. Wow, all Lori Andrews are creative and talented (lol.). That is what you wanted to show to everybody (laughs), not true?

Lori : Yes, I am guilty of “googling” my name… and happened to find a few outstanding Lori Andrews’ out there that have become very close friends. And as you can see from the liner notes and the artwork on “After Hours”, they are extremely talented as well. I just discovered another Lori Andrews in interior design but I’m not sure how to work her into the mix yet! LOL!

Akbar : And final question, dear Lori, what are your next musical projects`

Lori : Right now, we are doing a heavy promotion on “After Hours”, but rest assured, the next CD is on its way soon!
 
Akbar : Thanks so much for your time, dear Lori, and my best wishes for 2008.

Lori : This was truly my honor. Thank you so much for picking me and taking the time to feature an instrument that deserves some recognition in this genre!

For more information on Lori Andrews: www.jazharprecords.com

Interview by Akbar Nour for www.smoothjazznow.com