CODA XXXIII | Radha Botofasina, Harpist, vocalist, and musician
Written on assignment for Women in Jazz South Florida, published Spring 2021
As one of the oldest instruments on earth, the harp's tales go back to the biblical court of King Saul, who would call on the warrior David, who would become the King of Israel, to play to comfort his angst and sorrow. Imagine. A simple string instrument standing through millenniums of empires and wars still delivering its simple purpose, to comfort and heal.
As I listened to Harpist and multi-instrumentalist Radha Botofasina’s music catalog, I became convinced that she has traveled through time and space in the realm of the soul or the invisible. Mystical sounds do not just happen; they occur from a depth of journey or by listening to whispers that carry messages about finding purpose, arguably human being’s most extraordinary quest.
How she found herself in the embrace of the late and great Alice Coltrane is one important part of the story. It was Alice who presented her with the harp, and the rest is music history. How Radha came to discover and mature her creativity is the lore of warriors. She created a musical sphere all her own. Her unfolding as an artist and musician guided by both grief and grace, and in her case, the letter “G,” is not gratuitous, for her melodic harp pluck comes from the Gods of benevolence and mercy.
The mysteries of the unseen realm manifest themselves in all of Botofasina’s music. She is a David, a warrior of the courts of men and women who are called from the heavens to play and help calm us, surrender our inner furies, and enter a space of self-acceptance.
Equally masterful is her voice. I bend in particular to her albums “Ambient Harp Meditation Music” and “The Spirituals.” Listen to “Calvary,” “Here’s One,” “Swing Low,” Botofasina’s clear, harmonious, and amply flexible vocal cords, brings you in to her sincere guttural foundation so forgiving of a world gone awry it makes you cry.
The “Ambient Harp Mediation Music” album is enough to carry you through her sway in a court filled with cacophonous impostors of faith. Softness and strength might not intuitively go together, and yet “Kindred Spirits, “Keshava’s Lullaby,” and “School of Dolphins” remind you of the truth that the spirit world is more powerful than the mightiest of might.
Her musical achievements prove the real raison d’être or pinnacle of art and creation's importance—to help humanity heal and understand itself. The intention is so pure it eludes many, but the fact remains that music can prepare us for redemption. The practical world has broken the spirit and wherewithal of many. There is so much depravity, despair, and noise it can be hard to find the space and sounds that anchor us to humanity.
Seek, and you shall find say the scriptures, and in Radha Botofasina, her devoted and blessed musical path reminds us that the one true court, is Only God.