3/31/13

Dorothy Ashby - The Rubaiyat of Dorothy Ashby ...afro Harping


Soul Vibes and Harp Funk: Dorothy Ashby- Afro-Harping (1968)


I first got tipped to Dorothy Ashby over at Ghostcapital, and when I saw that she was jazz harpin' I got excited for more of that Alice Coltrane Journey in Satchidananda sound that I love. Alas, Ms. Ashby could never live up to those unreasonable expectations. And I have to say, I don't die for any of her albums in their entirety, but there's always some truly excellent moments. The Rubaiyat of Dorothy Ashby is particularly hit-or-miss, but only because the "hits" are so phenomenally awesome.

Afro-Harping may not be all that hard to find on the blogosphere, but I don't seem to hear a lot of chatter over its considerable merits, so I thought I'd throw up a link and do up a post on it.

If you heard my last mix, Jungle Shadows II, which featured a track off ofAfro-Harping ("Soul Vibrations"), you may already have impossibly high expectations for this record. That track is killer, in my opinion, a perfect piece of library-style exotica theremin funk. I hate to say this, but nothing else on the record sounds as immaculately awesome as "Soul Vibrations". Still, this is a really strong LP. A few easy-listening Bacharach or Billy Vaughn-style covers (including a surprisingly cool version of "Look of Love"), a few more funky numbers, some notable breakbeats, laid-back harp-jazz, a smattering of exotic notions... this is one of her better records, all told, even if it is rather slight. The playing throughout is generally laid-back dynamite. There's a really killer exotic jazz tune, "Life Has Its Trials," that makes the whole record worth it, just on its own-- a rollicking safari anthem with mallets and harp and a rhythm to die for.


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Another Classic album! Only at 'WhatsTheWordYo!
......and probably other places as well..but fuck um!



















Dorothy Ashby - The Rubaiyat Of Dorothy Ashby 
320kbps