Dorothy Ashby – Afro Harping

A bona fide ‘cult’ classic, Afro-harping is the first of a rarefied and outstanding trilogy of soul-jazz albums by Dorothy Ashby that were produced for Cadet Records (Chess) by Richard Evans between 1968 and 1970.

Remastered from the original ¼ inch tapes by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios, 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 far beyond jazzy mood music and made it a favourite of beat heads and producers; sampled by Pete Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Dee (aka J Dilla), Madlib, Flying Lotus and many others.

This deluxe version features eight bonus tracks, alternate takes from the surviving four-track session reels that are arguably superior to those on the album, including an explosive rendition of the single, ‘Soul Vibrations’, extended versions of its title track and ‘Little Sunflower’ and two fantastic jazzy readings of ‘Theme from Valley of the Dolls’.

The LP is housed in a gatefold sleeve with black poly-lined inner sleeves and an illustrated eight-page insert featuring detailed notes by Seán Casey of Shindig! Magazine, whose investigative work has unearthed new information about the making of Afro-Harping. The CD is housed in a digipack with 28-page booklet.

Format – Limited Edition Deluxe CD & Limited Edition Deluxe 2LP