Harpist Amanda Whiting follows three fine albums for Jazzman with a new one on First Word. Last year Amanda collaborated with Don Leisure for the London label, but on The Liminality Of Her she goes solo – all be it with the able assistance of some very talented friends. Facing The Sun is full of flamenco-like flourishes, and shakers like seashells washed in a tide against a Mediterranean shore. The latter provided by percussionist Mark O’Connor. A slow syncopated dance to a head-nodding beat. Amanda says “My instrument chose me”, “It’s how I speak”. and there’s incredible emotion in her harp’s voice, translated through Amanda’s fleet fingers. Improvising, vamping around melodies, in duet, in this case, with some Spanish-edged electric guitar. Jon Reynolds’ drums rising to cathartic crashes. On Intertwined his battery brings the influence of drum & bass to a lush Latin jam. The combination of Aidan Thorne’s cool contrabass and vocalist PEACH’s heavenly harmonies align the track with hip `80s outfits, like Kalima and Weekend. It could also have easily cropped up on a volume of Gilles Peterson’s Jazz Juice.

PEACH also adds a sweet scat to Rites Of Passage’s boom bap. Racing congas carry No Turning Back. Liminal is bass and bongo-led, fusion-flavoured funk. Cymbals shimmering. Amanda’s picking and plucking producing pretty pinpoint patterns. Throughout the album Amanda is a sympathetic bandleader urging on, encouraging the other players. For example, letting Chip Wickham’s flute take centre stage on Waiting To Go. The diversity of the set finds Amanda casting off, breaking free of, comparisons to Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby. Something that’s extremely difficult for a jazz harpist to do. That said, on Nomad she creates calm, Zen, koto-like tones that fetch a seductive Middle Eastern, Sub-Saharan modal swing. The nods to Dorothy’s Rubáiyát balanced by dynamic double-bass runs.

Amanda Whiting’s The Liminality Of Her is released this Friday on First Word.