Afro-Harping

1968 studio album by Dorothy Ashby
Afro-Harping
Studio album by
Dorothy Ashby
Released1968
RecordedFebruary 1968
Ter Mar Studios, Chicago
GenreJazz-funk[1]
Length35:56
LabelCadet
LPS-809
ProducerRichard Evans
Dorothy Ashby chronology
The Fantastic Jazz Harp of Dorothy Ashby
(1965) 		Afro-Harping
(1968) 		Dorothy's Harp
(1969)

Afro-Harping is an album by jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby recorded in 1968 and released on the Cadet label.[2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[3]

Ron Wynn, in his review for Allmusic, calls the album "the best and most complete album done by jazz harpist (a rare style) Dorothy Ashby... She turned the harp into a lead instrument, and offered solos that were as tough and memorable as those done by any reed, brass, or percussion player.[3]

A reviewer of Dusty Groove mentioned "One of the grooviest records ever – a sublime blend of African percussion, soulful orchestrations, and Dorothy Ashby's amazing electric harp! By the time of this landmark album, Dorothy had been knocking around the jazz world for a number of years, but it wasn't until she hooked up with Richard Evans at Cadet Records that her sound really began to cook – breaking down genres and expectations in the trademark style of the best late 60s sides from the Chicago underground. The record's got a bit of funk, a bit of jazz, and a heck of a lot of soul – and the setting works perfectly for Dorothy's harp, giving it a lot more room to work around than some of her smaller jazz combo albums".[4]

Track listing

All compositions by Dorothy Ashby except as indicated

  1. "Soul Vibrations" (Richard Evans) - 3:22
  2. "Games" - 3:57
  3. "Action Line" - 3:43
  4. "Lonely Girl" (Redd Evans, Neal Hefti, Jay Livingston) - 3:15
  5. "Life Has Its Trials" - 4:31
  6. "Afro-Harping" (Dorothy Ashby, Phil Upchurch) - 3:01
  7. "Little Sunflower" (Freddie Hubbard) - 3:47
  8. "Valley of the Dolls" (André Previn, Dory Previn) - 3:35
  9. "Come Live With Me" (Russ Carlyle, Mike Caranda, Ivan Washabaugh) - 2:39
  10. "The Look of Love" (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) - 4:06

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Gorton, TJ (July 30, 2018). "BeatCaffeine's 100 Best Jazz-Funk Songs". BeatCaffeine. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  2. ^ Cadet Album Discography (1965-1971) accessed May 13, 2013
  3. ^ a b Wynn, R. Allmusic Review accessed May 13, 2013
  4. ^ "Afro-Harping". Dusty Groove. Retrieved 17 June 2018.

External links

  • Review on Allaboutjazz.com
  • A Dorothy Ashby Discography
  • v
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  • e
Years given are for the recording(s), not first release, unless stated otherwise.
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