Virtuoso Detroit harpist DOROTHY ASHBY may not be a familiar name to the mainstream listening public but many soul music fans will certainly be familiar with the sound of her cascading harp, especially if they own records by Bill Withers (+’Justments), Minnie Riperton (Adventures in Paradise), Stevie Wonder (Songs In The Key Of Life) and Bobby Womack (The Poet I and II).
Outside of her session work backing up name recording artists, Ashby recorded a dozen jazz-tinged solo albums between 1957 and 1984 for a variety of labels, including Prestige, Argo, and Atlantic. She’s mostly revered by the jazz cognoscenti for her Cadet recordings in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, many of which have provided earworm samples for many a hip-hop artist, including Pete Rock, Kendrick Lamar, J Dilla, Madlib, and Flying Lotus.
One of her greatest Cadet outings was Afro-Harping, produced by noted arranger Richard Evans at Chicago’s Ter Mar Studios in 1968. Considered a cult classic, Afro-Harping is now revived as a double LP set and a single CD deluxe reissue by Universal Music Recordings/Verve. The lovingly curated package includes eight previously unissued bonus tracks, including the set’s standout, an extended alternate take of Freddie Hubbard’s jazz classic ‘Little Sunflower.’ Remastering comes courtesy of Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios. Writer Seán Casey’s revelatory liner notes shed new light on Ashby and her magnum opus.
Pre-order here: https://DorothyAshby.lnk.to/AfroHarpingDeluxe
Afro-Harping is released on 20th September 2024 via UMR/Verve Records
