Dorothy Ashby is one of the most well known harpists ever and her talents have been used on a hefty number of records. Christopher Chatman of Beyond Records has taken it upon himself to list every one.
There are at least three important harpists you should know about: Brandee Younger, Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby. Brandee is the newest name of the group, channelling the technique and finesse of her predecessors. Alice Coltrane’s harp lent itself to the cosmic reachings of jazz but it was Dorothy Ashby who made the harp less of a niche solo instrument and more of a unique melodic accompaniment and this was harnessed by many popular musicians. So many in fact, that Christopher Chatman of Beyond Records decided to compile a list chronicling every record Ashby featured on. The list so far stands at 91 and while I own some of them myself, I didn’t expect to see others (like Rick James’ second album, Bustin’ Out of L Seven).
I just wanted to add that the
above mentioned list is for only Dorothy Ashby’s appearances as a studio
musician. It does not include all of the albums, cds, 45s and digital
download compilations on which Dorothy Ashby appears as an individual or
the head of her own band. That is a separate list called: A Dorothy
Ashby Discography and it is at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/muycool/sets/72157626877430975/
Thank you for spreading the word about Dorothy Ashby!
Thanks for the clarification and the hard work!
Thanks for the clarification!