Dorothy Ashby

harp, piano, vocals, koto · 1932–1986 · Detroit

Born in Detroit, Dorothy Ashby established the harp as an instrument of jazz improvisation, able to play bebop on a par with the saxophone or the piano, and won a Down Beat award in 1962. Her album The Rubaiyat of Dorothy Ashby (1970) introduced the Japanese koto into jazz.

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Styles

• Soul jazz, boogaloo
• Hard bop

Landmark tracks

• Afro-Harping (1968)

Sources

• Source

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