Dorothy Ashby -

Date: 1968
Release: Cadet PS-809
Cover Art: view / download
Buy the Album

Alice Coltrane was not the only harpist on the jazz scene. Though less well known, Dorothy Ashby was the instrument’s other gargantuan talent. An accomplished player, Ashby combined soulful feeling and technical sophistication to push the harp to the fore and give it a new voice.

Of the ten albums she recorded between 1956-1970, Afro-Harping is easily her most funky. Long sought after by collectors, this rare groove classic has been rescued from dustbin obscurity and reissued by Verve for a limited time only (through 2006). Complete with flutes, vibes, B-3 organs, prominent basses, bursts of percussion, and a sampler’s heaven of drum beats, this late ’60s offering is packed with a variety of gems.

“Action Line” snakes along at a delicious lounge mid-tempo, while “Afro-Harping” boogaloos relentlessly forward, with tough solos by Dorothy guaranteed to earn your respect. “Little Sunflower” is centered around a bossa nova flavored groove over which Dorothy lays down some more pleasing harp leads. With such moments of soulful delight, this album should definitely be got while the getting’s good.

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