Harp in Jazz

[ejp626]

So I was at Dusty Groove, trying to fill in the last of the JiP series (only missing 4 or so of the last installment), and I saw they were pushing this pretty hard.

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Rubaiyat Of Dorothy Ashby

Dorothy Ashby

$11.99 ... CD

List Price: 12.98

(€8.70 || £5.94 || ¥1419) (approx.)

CD (Item 457935) Cadet/Dusty Groove, 1970 -- Condition: New Copy

Incredible work from the amazing Dorothy Ashby -- a brilliant set of funky and spiritual tunes, set to full backings from Chicago soul arranger Richard Evans! This album is easily one of Ashby's greatest, and it's dedicated to the writings of Omar Khayyam -- one of the forces guiding Dorothy's more spiritual sound at the end of the 60s, clearly opened up in a way that's not unlike the direction of Alice Coltrane's work, but a lot more focused and a lot more funky! Ashby not only plays her usual jazz harp, but also koto as well, and even sings a bit too -- and the larger group directed by Evans features work by Stu Katz on vibes and kalimba, Lenny Druss on flutes, and Cash McCall on guitar -- all in a groove that's really a precursor to the Earth Wind & Fire generation of the Chicago scene! Titles include the amazing break "The Moving Finger" -- worth the price of the album alone -- plus "Dust", "Joyful Grass & Grape", "Heaven & Hell", "Wax & Wane", "Shadow Shapes", "For Some When Young", "Myself When Young", and "Drink".

In fact, they had dozens of them. Well, I was mezmerised by the sales pitch and bought one. It turns out that DG is getting into the music label business as well. Anyway, it is a really trippy, sort of hippy-ish CD. I'd say two tracks are fairly interesting, the rest is ok. I'll probably spin it again in a week and see what I think then.

[clifford_thornton]

  brownie said:

Albert Ayler at home, Brooklyn, 1969.

Photo by Elliot Landy

Wow!

[birdanddizzy]

NOW I can say : "It is possible to swing with a harp !"

I've found Christine Lutz in France who just recorded an album with his quartet Harpiswing : www.harpiswing.com

UNBELIEVABLE !!!

Listen to this extract : http://download.yousendit.com/BCEEDC22025CD5BCv

The CD is not yet distributed (they need a distributor, so if you are interested... ;-)

[mikeweil]

Those links do not seem to work anymore - all I can find is her YouTube video:

 

[Bluesnik]

  On 12/12/2016 at 3:30 PM, mikeweil said:

Those links do not seem to work anymore - all I can find is her YouTube video:

 

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Very good that Christine Lutz!

Edited December 12, 2016 by Bluesnik

[bichos]

olivette miller; look here on an ed sullivan show from 1962:

 

keep boppin´

marcel

[optatio]

Jonny Teupen – Play Harp    ... Repress 1971

[mikeweil]

  On 4/18/2024 at 5:13 PM, optatio said:

Jonny Teupen – Play Harp    ... Repress 1971

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With these sidemen, I'd definitely like to hear it!

Okay, there are excerpts on YouTube. Typical 1960's baroque jazz. There are versions of the Händel Concerto by broque ensembles that swing a lot more! The harpsichord sounds awful (the instrument, not the player).

[optatio]

Another one on my shelf:

Jonny Teupen – Harpadelic ... 1971

[optatio]

See "American jazz harpists": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_jazz_harpists 

[optatio]

Deborah Henson-Conant – Talking Hands    ... US 1991

[Niko]

The new Tony Kofi album, a tribute to Alice, John and Pharoah with only harp (the co-leader), tenor sax and percussion

[optatio]

David Snell – The Subtle Sound Of David Snell    ... UK 1966

[optatio]

Carrol McLaughlin – Jazz Harp    ... US 1985

Dr. Carrol McLaughlin (1952–2018), former Professor of Harp at the University of Arizona

[soulpope]

  On 7/18/2024 at 5:22 AM, Niko said:

The new Tony Kofi album, a tribute to Alice, John and Pharoah with only harp (the co-leader), tenor sax and percussion

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Interesting Cover Art ....

[mjazzg]

  On 7/18/2024 at 9:06 PM, optatio said:

David Snell – The Subtle Sound Of David Snell    ... UK 1966

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I have that one, good album

  On 7/18/2024 at 5:22 AM, Niko said:

The new Tony Kofi album, a tribute to Alice, John and Pharoah with only harp (the co-leader), tenor sax and percussion

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Worth a listen, Bzhezhinska is good. I've seen her live several times and Kofi is now almost elder statesman over here

[Niko]

I like the Bzhezhinska/Kofi album quite a bit, both the cover and the music... the basic idea is to do a tribute to Alice and John Coltrane (and Pharoah Sanders) with just tenor, harp and a bit of percussion.... which works very well imho

[Teasing the Korean]

  On 7/18/2024 at 9:06 PM, optatio said:

David Snell – The Subtle Sound Of David Snell    ... UK 1966

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Snell is featured in the opening titles of Eye of the Devil, scored by Gary McFarland.  I can't find the film sequence, but here is the audio.

 

[optatio]

Carol Emanuel – Tops Of Trees    ... 1995

[mjazzg]

  On 7/19/2024 at 4:41 PM, Teasing the Korean said:

Snell is featured in the opening titles of Eye of the Devil, scored by Gary McFarland.  I can't find the film sequence, but here is the audio.

 

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Nice, thank you

[optatio]

  On 7/19/2024 at 4:41 PM, Teasing the Korean said:

Snell is featured in the opening titles of Eye of the Devil, scored by Gary McFarland.  I can't find the film sequence, but here is the audio.

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David Snell can be seen right at the beginning of the film... 3:00 ff

 

[Teasing the Korean]

  On 7/20/2024 at 10:58 AM, optatio said:

David Snell can be seen right at the beginning of the film... 3:00 ff

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Yes, we have the DVD, which I think is one of those "on demand" DVD-Rs.

I remember hearing negative things about this film, before we ever saw it, and thinking to myself, "How can a film about Satan worshippers on a French wine estate possibly be bad?" 😹 Gary McFarland's score for the film is available on CD, incidentally.

[T.D.]

David Snell plays on this, which is a nice album:

[optatio]

  On 7/20/2024 at 4:53 PM, Teasing the Korean said:

Yes, we have the DVD, which I think is one of those "on demand" DVD-Rs.

I remember hearing negative things about this film, before we ever saw it, and thinking to myself, "How can a film about Satan worshippers on a French wine estate possibly be bad?" 😹 Gary McFarland's score for the film is available on CD, incidentally.

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😂 + 👍

[optatio]

Marcella Carboni Trio Feat. Gabriele Mirabassi - Miradas ... 2024