(Cadet Records, 1969)
This is a concept album recorded by jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby at the end of the 1960s.
Many different moods and influences are introduced. The AllMusic reviews mentioned the influence of Coltrane and Sanders, but I hear a lot more.
With the talented Lenny Druss on flute/oboe, and piccolo…the recording opens in an Islamic mood…Dorothy touches on sub Saharan Africa, and the meeting of Arabic and African worlds. Dorothy is a good jazz singer …with her singing being an important part of this album.
Druss shows the influence of Roland Kirk, Herbie the Mann and Hubert Laws….I can hear the influence of Quincy Jones. Ashby walks between blues and afrobeat, using string bends.
There is an exciting exchange of ideas between Ashby and Cash McCall on guitar (like an Eric Gale out of Africa). There are good musical contributions from Cliff Davis (sax), Fred Katz(kalimba)Eddie Green( violin) and Richard Evans (piano), especially backing Dorothy’s vocal tracks.
On the last track we travel to Japan…well Dorothy takes us there, improvising on the Koto.
Dorothy was born in 1930 and died in 1986.She was an innovator, playing jazz on the harp, but was not widely accepted by audiences and musicians, through most of her lifetime.
In fact I only found about about her when I started surfing the internet.
G T
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