Jazz harp refers to jazz music performed harpists. The harp has traditionally been thought of as primarily a classical instrument, though it is also popular as a folk instrument. Some harpists, on the other hand, believed that the harp’s percussive nature made it well suited to other genres.
In the 1930s, jazz harp got its start thanks to the efforts of harpist Casper Reardon. Reardon, dubbed the “swing harpist,” was classically trained and has performed with the Cincinnati Conservatory and the Philadelphia Orchestra. When some of Reardon’s students introduced him to jazz, he fell in love with it and believed the harp could play in that style as well. He created his own style of jazz harp playing and paved the way for other jazz harpists performing with notable jazz musicians such as Jack Teagarden during the height of the swing era.
Other harpists, particularly Adele Girard, were able to challenge the notion that the harp was limited to classical music thanks to Reardon’s efforts. Other harpists, such as Dorothy Ashand Alice Coltrane, found ways to expand jazz harp even further in the 1960s, pushing the boundaries of jazz-related genres like bebop. These artists’ recordings are still considered some of the best examples of jazz harp playing.
The harp’s amplification was one of the major changes brought about jazz harpists. For their playing, modern jazz harpists use one of two types of harps. Acoustic-electric harps are the first. These harps sound like regular harps but can be amplified with electric pickups if desired. The fully electric harp is the second type of harp used in jazz. These harps differ from traditional harps in that they lack a soundboard and must therefore be amplified to produce sounds loud enough for audiences to hear.
The harp’s amplification was crucial for jazz harpists for two reasons. First, it allowed jazz harpists to break through the volume barriers that acoustic instruments face and compete with full jazz ensembles’ often explosive volume. Second, it allowed jazz harpists to alter and distort the sounds they created with the harp in the same way that electric guitars can. Jazz harpists discovered an entirely new way to solo and support other musicians with this new palette of sound.
The harp has a clear, almost bell-like tone that is often described as ethereal when played acoustically. When played electrically for jazz, however, the harp’s sound is almost identical to that of a steel drum, despite the fact that the harp’s delicacy is strangely preserved. It can take some time for listeners to adjust to this dramatic, almost calypso flavor, but once they do, they often come to love the new sound.
One of the limitations of jazz harp is that it has a small number of players compared to other instruments like the violin, with orchestras typically employing only one or two harpists. Because this style of harp playing is in such high demand, most harp schools concentrate on classical music and technique. As a result, harpists who excel in the jazz genre are even rarer.