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'.
Track Listing:
1. Soul Vibrations - Dorothy Ashby
2. Games - Dorothy Ashby
3. Action Line - Dorothy Ashby
4. Lonely Girl - Dorothy Ashby
5. Life Has Its Trials - Dorothy Ashby
6. Afro-harping - Dorothy Ashby
7. Little Sunflower - Dorothy Ashby
8. Theme from 'Valley of the Dolls' - Dorothy Ashby
9. Come Live With Me - Dorothy Ashby
10. The Look of Love - Dorothy Ashby
1. Action Line (Master A, Take 2) - Dorothy Ashby
2. Afro-harping (Alt. Take) - Dorothy Ashby
3. Theme from 'Valley of the Dolls' (Master B, Take 2) - Dorothy Ashby
4. Lonely Girl (Master G, Take 1) - Dorothy Ashby
5. Soul Vibrations (Alt. Take) - Dorothy Ashby
6. Life Has Its Trials (Master C, Take 2) - Dorothy Ashby
7. Little Sunflower (Master F, Take 3) - Dorothy Ashby
8. Theme from 'Valley of the Dolls' (Master B, Take 6) - Dorothy Ashby
Year of Production:
1968
