Dorothy Ashby - The Jazz Harpist

Styles: Harp Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 29:32
Size: 68,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:02) 1. Thou Swell
(3:09) 2. Stella by Starlight
(7:31) 3. Dancing on the Ceiling
(4:16) 4. Aeolian Groove
(2:52) 5. Quietude
(3:41) 6. Spicy
(3:59) 7. Lamentation

"Years ago the All Star polls in jazz were primarily concerned with trumpets, trombones, saxophones and the usual rhythm instruments, but of late the situation has changed in order to welcome new instruments and players into the ever-broadening aspect of jazz performance. Now, such widely varied instruments as the cello, accordion, and flute are accepted as contributing members of the jazz group or orchestra. And here Regent is presenting still another voice for jazz expression: The harp. No, this isn't the first time a harp has been used on a jazz date. But, I can't recall when a harp was featured as a solo instrument within a jazz context as it is here. The harpist of reference is Dorothy Ashby, and in her recording debut she is featured as the leader of a thoroughly refreshing group as well as soloist, composer and arranger of great merit".~ Opiniones Editoriales https://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Harpist-DOROTHY-ASHBY/dp/B00I1KDR2Y

Personnel: Dorothy Ashby - harp; Frank Wess - flute; Eddie Jones (tracks 3, 6 & 7), Wendell Marshall (tracks 1, 2, 4 & 5) - bass; Ed Thigpen - drums

The Jazz Harpist

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Dorothy Ashby - Django/Misty

Styles: Harp Jazz
Year: 1984
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:03
Size: 78,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:00)  1. Django
(3:24)  2. Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise
(4:52)  3. Round Midnight
(3:43)  4. Blues for Mr. K
(5:48)  5. My Favourite Things
(4:10)  6. September in the Rain
(3:45)  7. Misty
(3:19)  8. Amor en Paz

Django/Misty is a studio album by jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby released via the Philips Records label in 1984.  The album is named after two famous jazz compositions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Django/Misty

Personnel:  Harp – Dorothy Ashby

Django/Misty

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Dorothy Ashby - Dorothy's Harp

Styles: Harp Jazz
Year: 1969
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:03
Size: 81,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:30)  1. By The Time I Get To Phoenix
(3:36)  2. Canto De Ossanha
(2:52)  3. Love Is Blue
(3:00)  4. Reza
(2:49)  5. The Girl's In Love With You
(2:52)  6. Truth Spoken Here
(3:05)  7. Toronado
(3:22)  8. The Windmills Of Your Mind
(3:01)  9. Cause I Need It
(3:08) 10. Just Had To Tell Somebody
(3:41) 11. Fool On The Hill

There had been considerable questions about the harp’s place in jazz. After all, it’s a music form that was (and still is) dominated primarily by brass, woodwinds, and percussion. Dorothy Ashby sought to change that mindset. A master player by all accounts, she could work wonders with her fingers making the instrument sound less classical and more like a soothing, yet still elegant guitar. A few years after Dorothy’s Harp, she’d be working with Stevie Wonder. To further her sound, she had enlisted the help of Richard Evans the prior year after signing with Cadet. Together they forged ahead to construct a rich palette of sounds that surrounded you with the instrument instead of immersing you. On “The Windmills Of Your Mind,” Ashby’s harp introduces the tune before being taken away by a light, but funky bass. She then floats back into the mix creating a texture that’s not often heard with the harp taking the lead while a groovy bass line plods with a soul-funk feel. That said, though, it works astonishingly well. The tones she creates with her harp create a haunting, yet beautiful vibe. To further that emotion, Evans added in some fantastic strings. Brazilian touches abound as well. Ashby and friends dial up two standards in “Reza” and “Canto de Ossanha.” The former showcases Ashby creating space in the mix for her solos, which helps make the faster-than-usual pace of the song more palatable. In their reading, the song becomes more prone to hip shaking whereas a slower-paced version might lend to more hip swaying. Meanwhile, “Canto de Ossanha” follows much the same trend.

There is some great interplay between the flute where the two instruments sometimes play alongside one another note-for-note, while at other times the flute relegates to rhythm steadier with succinct pop-pops. Odell Brown then seals the deal with some exquisite solo work on Fender Rhodes. However, it would be an incomplete review without mentioning Ashby’s originals in “Cause I Need It” and “Just Had To Tell Somebody.” She again goes with Brazilian touches on “Cause I Need It” including some great bongo work. There is no doubt who is in command of this track even as other instruments, including the oboe take the lead. The harp’s main riff is succinct before straying into solo mode. “Just Had To Tell Somebody” is a happy affair that finds her exploring pop-soul nuances with an arrangement that once again never overbears. The melody emboldens its title as it seems to build with excitement. In the ’90s and ’00s, Ashby’s work started to be plucked for hip hop samples. Notably Pete Rock sampled two songs from the album  one for the shelved-and-finally-released INI album that included “Fakin Jax” (which sampled “Cause I Need It”) – and the other being his beat for Rahzel’s “All I Know” (using “The Windmills Of Your Mind,” which you can hear at the beginning of the Rahzel track). Ugly Duckling also sampled “Canto de Ossanha” for “Another Samba.”~ Eric Luecking http://www.revive-music.com/2011/01/04/dorothy-ashby-dorothys-harp/

Dorothy's Harp

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