The Rubaiyat of Dorothy Ashby

Last updated

The Rubaiyat of Dorothy Ashby
The Rubaiyat of Dorothy Ashby.jpg
Studio album by
Dorothy Ashby
Released1970, 2007 (reissue)
RecordedNovember 1969 – January 1970
Ter Mar Studios, Chicago
Genre Jazz, jazz fusion, ethno jazz, experimental jazz
Length39:17
Label Cadet
LPS-841 Dusty Groove (reissue) [1]
DGA 3002
Producer Richard Evans
Dorothy Ashby chronology
Dorothy's Harp
(1969)		The Rubaiyat of Dorothy Ashby
(1970)		 Django/Misty
(1984)

The Rubaiyat of Dorothy Ashby (subtitled Original compositions inspired by the words of Omar Khayyam, arranged and conducted by Richard Evans) is an album by jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby recorded in late 1969 and early 1970 and released on the Cadet label. [2] On this album, Ashby plays the Japanese musical instrument, the koto, demonstrating her abilities to successfully integrate another instrument into jazz. [3]

Contents

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [4]
Record Collector Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Sputnikmusic4/5 [6]

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Thom Jurek writes: "this is a head record. Time and space are suspended and new dimensions open up for anyone willing to take this killer little set on and let it spill its magic into the mind canal through the ears. Depending on how much of a jazz purist you are will give you a side to debate the place of this set in Ashby's catalogue. For those who remain open, this may be her greatest moment on record …" [4]

A reviewer of Dusty Groove stated: "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!" [7]

Track listing

All compositions by Dorothy Ashby.

  1. "Myself When Young" – 5:16
  2. "For Some We Loved" – 4:02
  3. "Wax and Wane" – 4:25
  4. "Drink" – 2:30
  5. "Wine" – 3:56
  6. "Dust" – 2:51
  7. "Joyful Grass and Grape" – 3:38
  8. "Shadow Shapes" – 3:32
  9. "Heaven and Hell" – 3:10
  10. "The Moving Finger" – 5:39

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<i>Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam</i> 1859 translations by Edward FitzGerald

Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám is the title that Edward FitzGerald gave to his 1859 translation from Persian to English of a selection of quatrains attributed to Omar Khayyam (1048–1131), dubbed "the Astronomer-Poet of Persia".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy Ashby</span> American jazz harpist and composer (1932–1986)

Dorothy Jeanne Thompson, better known as Dorothy Ashby, was an American jazz harpist, singer and composer. Hailed as one of the most "unjustly under loved jazz greats of the 1950s" and the "most accomplished modern jazz harpist," Ashby established the harp as an improvising jazz instrument, beyond earlier use as a novelty or background orchestral instrument, proving the harp could play bebop as adeptly as the instruments commonly associated with jazz, such as the saxophone or piano.

Rubaiyat or Ruba'iyat or Rubayat may refer to:

<i>A Secret Place</i> 1976 studio album by Grover Washington Jr.

A Secret Place is the sixth album by jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. and his last studio album for Kudu Records. The album topped the Billboard Jazz Albums chart and reached number seven on the Soul Albums chart in 1977.

<i>Bundle of Joy</i> (album) 1977 studio album by Freddie Hubbard

Bundle of Joy is an album recorded in 1977 by jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. It was released on the Columbia label and features performances by Hubbard, Dorothy Ashby, Azar Lawrence and Ernie Watts.

<i>Prairie Dog</i> (album) 1966 studio album by Duke Pearson

Prairie Dog is the eighth album by American pianist and arranger Duke Pearson, and his second for the Atlantic label, recorded in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cash McCall (musician)</span> American musician (1941–2019)

Cash McCall was an American electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was best known for his 1966 R&B hit "When You Wake Up". Over his long career, his musical style evolved from gospel music to soul music to the blues.

<i>Jewels of Thought</i> 1969 studio album by Pharoah Sanders

Jewels of Thought is an album by the American jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. It was recorded at Plaza Sound Studios in New York City on October 20, 1969, and was released on Impulse! Records in the same year. The 1998 reissue merged "Sun In Aquarius" into one 27-minute-long track.

<i>Anything Goes</i> (Ron Carter album) 1975 studio album by Ron Carter

Anything Goes is an album by bassist Ron Carter recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's Studio in New Jersey in 1975 and released on the Kudu label.

<i>Something You Got</i> 1977 studio album by Art Farmer

Something You Got is an album by American flugelhornist Art Farmer featuring performances with Yusef Lateef and the David Matthews Big Band recorded in 1977 and released on the CTI label.

<i>The Jazz Harpist</i> 1957 studio album by Dorothy Ashby

The Jazz Harpist is the debut studio album by American jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby released in 1957 by the Regent label.

<i>Afro-Harping</i> 1968 studio album by Dorothy Ashby

Afro-Harping is an album by jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby recorded in 1968 and released on the Cadet label.

<i>The Vigil</i> (album) 2013 studio album by Chick Corea

The Vigil is an album recorded by Chick Corea and released sixth of August 2013. In the Billboard Jazz albums charts the album peaked at number 4. The album won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album at the 15th Annual Latin Grammy Awards.

The Soulful Strings were an American soul-jazz instrumental group formed in Chicago in 1966. Predominantly a studio band, the project was created and led by Richard Evans, a staff producer and musical arranger with the Chess Records subsidiary Cadet Records.

<i>Groovin with the Soulful Strings</i> 1967 studio album by the Soulful Strings

Groovin' with the Soulful Strings is the second album by the American soul-jazz instrumental group the Soulful Strings. It was released in October 1967 on the Cadet record label, a subsidiary of Chess Records. The album includes the hit single "Burning Spear", written by the group's leader, musical arranger Richard Evans, and interpretations of popular songs by the Beatles, the Temptations, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and others.

<i>Dorothys Harp</i> 1969 studio album by Dorothy Ashby

Dorothy's Harp is a studio album by jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby released in 1969 via the Cadet label. A few years after releasing Dorothy’s Harp, she started working with Stevie Wonder. The record includes two Brazilian-touched compositions: "Reza" and "Canto de Ossanha". The album was re-released as a CD in 2006.

<i>Forever</i> (Corea, Clarke & White album) 2011 live album / Studio album by Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White

Forever is a double CD album of live acoustic recordings recorded in California, Tokyo and Seattle in 2009 by the Return to Forever pianist Chick Corea, bass player Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White and studio rehearsals with guests Jean-Luc Ponty, Bill Connors and Chaka Khan. It was released on the Concord label I 2011.

<i>Early in the Morning</i> (Lorez Alexandria album) 1960 studio album by Lorez Alexandria with the Ramsey Lewis Trio and Some of Basies Cats

Early in the Morning is an album by American jazz vocalist Lorez Alexandria featuring performances recorded in 1960 and released on the Argo label.

<i>The Leon Thomas Album</i> 1970 studio album by Leon Thomas

The Leon Thomas Album is the second album by American jazz vocalist and percussionist Leon Thomas recorded in 1970 and released by the Flying Dutchman label.

<i>Expansions</i> (Lonnie Liston Smith album) 1975 studio album by Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes

Expansions is an album by keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith, featuring performances recorded in 1974 and released by the Flying Dutchman label the following year.

References

  1. ↑ "Dorothy Ashby – The Rubaiyat Of Dorothy Ashby". Discogs . Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  2. ↑ Cadet Album Discography (1965–1971) accessed May 13, 2013
  3. ↑ "Dorothy Ashby". blax-jive.com. December 7, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Jurek, Thom, AllMusic review. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Dorothy Ashby – Rubaiyat Of CD Album" > "Product Review(s)". CD Universe/Muze . Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Dorothy Ashby: The Rubaiyat of Dorothy Ashby". Sputnikmusic. sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Rubaiyat Of Dorothy Ashby". Dusty Groove . Retrieved June 17, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.