Let's Discover: Dorothy Ashby

My dear brother always advises that we "get to know one" and I think we'd all do well to heed his advice. Today I am getting to know the fantastic and legendary jazz harpist (yes HARP, people!) Ms. Dorothy Ashby. I first discovered this artist when my bro sent me a mixtape featuring her Little Sunflower. This song has received HEAVY rotation round my way and I have dropped it on many a mixtape since then. Today I grabbed her album "In A Minor Groove" and proceeded to do a little research on this dynamic woman. I won't regurgitate the whole Wikipedia entry (linked to it above), but I can say that this woman is a real deal big deal who has not only played with the likes of Louis, Stevie, and Dionne but also made a name for herself as the most successful jazz harpist in the game.



You can also listen to her album Afro Harping over on the Verve site.





Both Pictures from here