Dorothy Ashby / AFRO-HARPING

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. The album includes two great originals – ‘Soul Vibrations’ and ‘Afro-Harping’ – both of which have a nice funky edge, and a groovy soulful bounce.