Jazz has a long history of ignoring women – a history that, despite various efforts to fix the gender imbalance, is still very much prevalent today. So, when I say that all-femme jazz trio Turiya’s new album Bliss isn’t an album to ignore, I’m saying that with this context in mind – though it’s also a good album that you should listen to.
On the whole, Bliss would be your standard contemporary jazz album, fitting nicely among the likes of Brad Mehldau, the Bad Plus, Nubya Garcia, and the bands rappers bring to their NPR Tiny Desk concerts. However, Turiya stands out from the crowd due to their unusual choice of harp – played by arguable frontwoman of the band, Michelle Smith. Smith’s playing is a technical masterclass, showcasing the various unique timbres and resonances the instrument can produce, from those romantic harp glisses to the soft twang of harmonics.
The use of the harp allows for the influence of Alice Coltrane, one of the only examples of a jazz harpist, to prominently shine through. Despite (or perhaps because) of Coltrane’s constant place in her husband’s shadow, Turiya makes Coltrane into their guiding patron saint; it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to listen to Bliss as a musical biography of Coltrane herself.
Turiya photography by Tashi Hall.
Despite the harp being front and centre, Kate Pass on the double bass and Talya Valenti on the drums play their hearts out throughout the album. As it is a three piece jazz ensemble, most tracks showcase solos from all three members – oftentimes the highlights of each of the tracks. Pass’ timbre has this warmth that grounds the trio like this arbiter of groove, and, as a sucker for a good drum solo, I’m constantly enamoured with every technically articulate solo Valenti offers throughout the album.
The standout of the album is also its only feature; ‘Solace’ features POW! Negro (of Superego and Myriad Sun fame) showcasing his unique style that finds itself between rap and spoken word. The narrative that winds through the track explores finding comfort while living as a person of colour in Australia – a nuanced topic articulated beautifully and helped by its clear politics. Turiya is phenomenal on this track, almost too good. I would assume that Smith, Pass, and Valenti have a lot of experience being behind a soloist both from their instrument choice and particularly great playing on this track, which unfortunately leaves me wanting more guests and features.
Though I feel that the instrumentation can get a little monotonous at times, the variety within the composition of each piece makes up for the monotony. ‘Two Years or More’ is in 5/4 with a bowed bass (always a welcome sound), ‘Romance’ goes into this soft, lyrical space which fans of Chet Baker or Parisian jazz will adore, and ‘Linaire’ is groovin’, funky, and kind of aggro, which makes me think of those 80s cop movies – a strange correlation for a harp-led track, but it works.
Bliss cover art.
My personal favourite track is ‘Escalation’ – this eight-minute journey of a track that begins with a three-minute harp-only solo which sounds absolutely divine, and it only gets better as the full ensemble joins. A quick aside, I feel like there’s a lack of blatant spirituality throughout this album, which is strange for a band named after the fourth state of consciousness in Hindu philosophy (and Alice Coltrane’s title as a Hindu spiritual leader). However, where the rest of the album lacks, ‘Escalation’ shines with abundance. For fans of Coltrane’s psychedelic classic Journey in Satchidananda, this album as a whole may come as a little bit of a letdown due to a lack of electronics, but ‘Escalation’ is definitely worth a listen to. There is an undeniable soul in this track that permeates through its entire eight-minute run, and I whole-heartedly recommend listening to it in full.
Bliss by Turiya is a phenomenal project definitely worth listening to. If you’re a fan of the current jazz scene or just harp in general, it’s a great album to sit down and just absorb, and if you don’t have the time to sit down with an album but just want something on in the background, give Bliss a listen.
Bliss by Turiya will be released digitally on 28th June 2024, with vinyl available for pre-order on Bandcamp. The album is being launched on Thursday 4th July at The Rechabite, Perth WA. TICKETS are available here.