Dorothy Ashby – Afro-Harping (2xLP, 2024 Deluxe Edition)

Dororthy Ashby's Afro-Harping: Deluxe Edition on 2LP. Features Eight Bonus Tracks. Remastered From the Original ¼ Inch Tapes by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios.

Afro-Harping is the first of a rarfied and outstanding trilogy of soul-jazz albums by Dorothy Ashby. Remastered from the original tapes, Afro-Harping is filled front-to-back with sumptuous and hypnotic grooves. Its African percussion, soulful orchestrations, in-the-pocket rhythms and Dorothy’s virtuosity take it beyond jazzy mood music and made it a favorite of beat heads and producers. This deluxe edition features eight bonus tracks – alternate takes from the surviving four-track session reels, including an explosive rendition of the single, “Soul Vibrations,” extended versions of the title track and “Little Sunflower,” plus two fantastic jazzy readings of “Theme from Valley of the Dolls.” 2 LP set.

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

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.

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".