ARTIST: Harper Trio

ALBUM: Dialogue of Thoughts

RELEASE DATE: 24 October 2025

“Brilliant new jazz … brilliant new album” (One Jazz: The Blueprint)

“What a brilliant trio, catch the if you can” One Jazz: Fuse)

In recent years, the jazz harp has quietly re-emerged as a force in modern jazz circles, exemplified by electric jazz harpist and composer Maria-Christina Harper. In 2023, she released her much-acclaimed debut album Passing By with The Harper Trio, imbuing
her compositions and instrument with a spirit of innovation and creative freedom. Drawing influences from her Greek and Egyptian musical roots to the avant-garde, the album established the trio’s signature sound – spiritually charged, shimmering
soundscapes and experimental tones – recasting the harp’s place in jazz.

Dialogue of Thoughts is The Harper Trio’s sophomore album reuniting the exceptional talents of celebrated drummer Evan Jenkins and dynamic saxophonist Josephine Davies. True to her approach, Maria-Christina is less concerned with placing her harp
centre stage than creating a dialogue between band members, each bringing their own experiences to the sound. She’s more interested in musical conversation, intentionally giving each player space to shine. All three engage in vivid musical dialogues—alive with
contrast, urgency, and emotional nuance. With a new-found confidence, this album introduces greater momentum, faster tempos, and a heightened sense of spontaneity.

Her writing process has evolved too. While her debut album drew from the scenery of Hastings, this time her starting point became what the piece was about and how she wanted it to feel, focusing on what she could create with each band member. The result
is a more collaborative sound—tighter, shorter tracks shaped by shared creativity.

Dialogue of Thoughts is a journey through mindfulness, exploring both the effort and ease of finding stillness. It reflects on personal development and the often-chaotic reality of trying to be present. “I describe this album as my mindfulness diary” says Harper, “its restless soundscape mirrors the frustration of trying – sometimes winning, sometimes failing – to find stillness through mediation”. The trio takes the listener on an aural journey rich in nuance and unexpected turns. Throughout the album, Davies’ warm, full-bodied tone and expansive solos—fuelled by Jenkins’ measured, intricate drumming—interplay with the harp to evoke contrasting moods,
from brash intensity to quiet serenity and unhurried calm.

All tracks on the album are about working towards inner peace. Walk (the album’s first single) is a driving, high-energy funky ride about the persistence of moving forward even when it feels impossible, especially on days when inner strength feels out of reach. Madness -a psychedelic grungy workout – sonically captures the restless mind distracted by mundane, everyday thoughts, while Quiet Mind is a glistening, delicate piece evoking moments where mindfulness feels natural and unforced; a slow, introspective journey exploring stillness, presence, and the beauty of non-thought. For the first time we hear voices; Inner Thoughts and Moving On (Intro) features all three bandmates reciting positive mantras taken directly from ancient Greek texts allowing ancient wisdom to meditate on.