Perth Voice Interactive

SHE’S loaned her harp to Björk, studied at the famous Berklee College of Music, and formed a unique trio that are about to release their debut album Bliss.

I’m talking about Perth’s Michelle Smith – a talented harpist who fronts what might be Australia’s only jazz harp trio, Turiya.

Their debut album shattered the myth of the harp being limited and only suited to ethereal passages in classical music or for dream sequences in cheesy movies (cue the whole tone scale played up and down).

The versatility of the harp is evident in Bliss’s lead track Serendipity – minimalist with hip-hop drumming, it could almost be late-period Radiohead or a fusion number by Herbie Hancock.

The harp gently floats over the top of the double bass and sounds like a post-modern harpsichord, weaving in and out of the beat.

Despite sounding beautiful, it’s certainly not twee or sentimental and has a dark, staccato edge in places.

So why hasn’t the harp been used more often in jazz?

Smith says the instrument has seven tricky pedals used to change between the equivalent of white and black notes on the piano.

“Jazz becomes very difficult on the harp as you have to change harmony and improvise with your feet, therefore it is much more practical in classical music,” she says.

“But the lush deep sounds of 47 strings gives its rich timbre to jazz that no other instrument can give.

“One of the bass strings can sustain itself for 40 seconds alone.”

Touching on jazz, R&B, pop and classical, Bliss is an eclectic and ambitious album, but there is always a hook in each song, be it rhythmic, melodic or harmonic, to keep the listener grounded.

It’s an accessible listen with a modern urban sound, but the harp never feels out of place and is cleverly integrated into tunes.

There’s even a hip-hop track Solace, featuring lyrics and vocals by POW! Negro.

Turiya is packed with top-notch talent, especially drummer Talya Valenti, whose tasteful and inventive grooves propel the music forward and provide lots of dynamics.

She’s in demand and has played on loads of albums and sessions with musos like Methyl Ethel, Stella Donnelly and on the Songs for Freedom project.

On double bass is Kate Pass, who is doing a scholarship at The New School in New York and leads the Kohesia Ensemble, which fuses Persian music with jazz. After playing and studying together for years and becoming friends, Smith, Valenti and Pass decided to form Turiya in 2020.

“In Hindu philosophy, Turiya represents the true self,” says Smith.

“Our main inspiration, Alice Coltrane, adopted the name Turiya, embodying both a Hindu spiritual leader and an extraordinary jazz harpist.”

One of the few harpists in the history of jazz, Coltrane was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader and Hindu spiritual leader who was known for her unique brand of spiritual jazz in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

She was married to saxophone legend John Coltrane, and they performed together in the mid-1960s.

“Alice Coltrane as a musician was certainly boundary pushing and I love that she incorporated harp into that,” Smith says.

“She almost made jazz spiritual. But if you really want to hear the queen of jazz harp then Dorothy Ashby is the woman for that. 

“Her album In a Minor Groove was something that no other harpist had ever done before and that was in the 50’s.

“It didn’t hurt her case either that she used to be a sax player. So her melodic vocabulary was magic on those strings.”

Smith has played solo harp shows across the globe and has collaborated with the likes of ARIA award-winners Karnivool and hip-hop artist Mathas.

But even she admits the gigantic instrument can be a labour of love at times, and it takes her about 15 minutes just to tune-up.

“You cannot fly in the plane with a harp. This is when it becomes a logistical challenge,” Smith says.

“When I have played interstate I have needed to hire a harp form fellow harpists. Even Björk hired my harp for her shows here for the week.

“But a good harp trolley, a large car and some muscles will do the rest when it comes to playing in your own home town. It takes time to set up and pack down for sure. But when you get to sit behind that thing and play, it makes it all worthwhile.”

Turiya’s debut album Bliss will be released digitally on June 28 with vinyl available to pre-order. See turiya3.bandcamp.com/album/bliss-2 for details. They are also doing an album launch gig at The Rechabite in Northbridge on July 4. Tix at therechabite.com.au.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK