Dorothy Ashby
Jazz Harpist
*Back in print by popular demand!* This is Dorothy Ashby's debut album, originally released in 1957 by the Regent label. Recognized as the woman who gave the harp a jazz voice, here Ashby is at the head of a highly distinctive combo featuring Frank Wess on flute, Eddie Jones or Wendell Marshall on bass and master Ed Thigpen on drums. The Jazz Harpist is an unprecedented mix of evocative classic sounds and jazz soul, awarded by Allmusic as her first and best album, period!
Afro-Harping
Afro-Harping is the first of a rarefied and outstanding trilogy of soul-jazz albums by Dorothy Ashby. Remastered from the original tapes, Afro-Harping is filled front-to-back with sumptuous and hypnotic grooves. Its African percussion, soulful orchestrations, in-the-pocket rhythms and Dorothy's virtuosity take it beyond jazzy mood music and made it a favorite of beat heads and producers. This deluxe edition features eight bonus tracks – alternate takes from the surviving four-track session reels…
With Strings Attached (1957-1965)
6LP box set containing original studio albums from 1957 - 1965. Remastered directly and lacquers cut from the original analog tapes, 180gm vinyl and housed in reverse-board deluxe sleeves. Extensive book with foreword from Brandee Younger, comprehensive liner notes by Shannon J. Effinger and previously unseen photographs and ephemera. Housed inside book-shelf style slipcase with silver-foil detail. New Land are proud to present the first multi-disc box set from one of the most overlooked artists…
Hip Harp / On A Minor Groove
Doxy present a combined reissue of legendary jazz harpist and poly-instrumentalist Dorothy Ashby's Hip Harp and In A Minor Groove, both released separately in 1958. Both albums feature Frank Wess. Dorothy Ashby had a unique soul jazz harp sound, and although the instrument she used is probably more thought of in terms of bedtime lullabies, she actually makes it swing nicely, and with a soulful sound that draws back to traditions of African stringed instruments. Ashby was part of the same scene a…
The Rubaiyat Of Dorothy Ashby
Essential Dorothy Ashby! This high quality Verve By Request edition is cut on 180 gram vinyl at Third Man Pressing in Detroit from a newly remastered transfer. Original Lab review: Released in 1969, Rubaiyat was the follow-up to the cult-favorite Afro Harping. Lesser known, perhaps due to its rarity, Rubaiyat follows in line with more of the funky awkwardness established by its predecessor. The monster track here is "The Moving Finger," with a chanting intro setting off a nice break followed by …
Hip Harp
*2023 repress!* Born in Detroit in 1932 Dorothy Ashby can be easily recognized as the woman who gave the harp a Jazz voice. In her hands, the harp, an originally classical instrument which seemed to just scare people, became a highly versatile swinging voice able to drive a whole jazz rhythm section. Recorded in 1958 by master Rudy Van Gelder and originally released on the Prestige label, Hip Harp is a perfect example of Ashby’s artistry. At the head of a fine quartet featuring the great Frank …
In a Minor Groove
'Dorothy Ashby was the very best and most swinging performer on the multi-stringed instrument associated with the gates of heaven. Here on Earth, Ashby adeptly plucked and strummed the harp like nobody else, as evidenced on a single reissue containing her two best LPs for the Prestige and Prestige/New Jazz labels from 1958 -- Hip Harp and In a Minor Groove. Alongside her prior efforts for the Savoy label, they collectively represent a small but substantive discography for the Detroit native in s…
Soft Winds: The Swinging Harp of Dorothy Ashby
Dorothy Ashby album from 1961 that also features female vibes player Terry Pollard. Comes with a version of The Skatalites 'Guns of Navarone' which is a pretty surreal listening experience. From the original liner notes: "Dorothy Ashby may not be the first jazz harpist (Caspar Reardon) or the first female jazz harpist (Adele Girard), but her good feeling for time and ability to construct melodic, guitar-like lines, mark her as the most accomplished modern jazz harpist (...) Accompanying her was …
The Fantastic Jazz Harp Of Dorothy Ashby
This is the sixth album by Dorothy Ashby, a Detroit born jazz harpist who passed away in her early 50s in 1986 way before her time. She left us a rich legacy of music with this 1965 release being one of her milestones. The music is pure bright and swinging with a joyful mood. Dorothy Ashby performs her lines big time with her harp and captures your soul with the melodies she picks from its strings. She is always there upfront while the brass section mostly fills the background with colour if the…
Dorothy's Harp
**180 gram audiophile vinyl** Dorothy Ashby was an American jazz harpist, one of the very few who used her instrument to play credible jazz and bebop. First studying as a pianist at Wayne State University and later, in 1952, switching to harp. She recorded eleven albums for different jazz labels, like Savoy and Prestige. Dorothy also guested as a studio player on albums with Bill Withers, Stevie Wonder and many more.
In 1969 the studio album Dorothy's Harp was released on Cadet Records. On the a…
Dorothy Ashby
Wax Love present a reissue of Dorothy Ashby's self-titled album,
originally released in 1962. Dorothy Ashby was perhaps not Detroit's
most famous female jazz harpist as that distinction belongs to Alice Coltrane
but she was notably the first and a trailblazer who overcame massive
setbacks throughout her nearly 30-year recording career. Playing on an
instrument not usually associated with jazz, in a male dominated field,
Ashby is a true and amazing original. Originally released in 1962, and…
Rubaiyat Of Dorothy Ashby
Incredible work from the amazing Dorothy Ashby – a brilliant set of funky and spiritual tunes, set to full backings from Chicago soul arranger Richard Evans! This album is easily one of Ashby's greatest, and it's dedicated to the writings of Omar Khayyam – one of the forces guiding Dorothy's more spiritual sound at the end of the 60s, clearly opened up in a way that's not unlike the direction of Alice Coltrane's work, but a lot more focused and a lot more funky! Ashby not only plays her…