You’ve trained in classical music and explored jazz, electronic, and improvisation. How did your early education shape you? I started seriously at seven in a specialized music school in Ukraine. It was very strict, sometimes too strict. It sucked a bit of the fun out of just playing but gave me amazing technique and music theory. I learned to love playing again later, especially when I discovered jazz. It set me free. The harp isn’t exactly a jazz staple. How do you make it shine in modern music? When I moved to London ten years ago to start my band and promote jazz harp, most promoters didn’t even know what it was. Some were scared to give me a slot. I thought, “Okay, maybe I’m ahead of my time,” but Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby did even harder work to be heard. I kept going. Now, look, almost every jazz […]
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