Dinner Music: Dorothy Ashby
Luxurious, lush lounge bossa jazz filled with harp, flute and brass
Dorothy Ashby was a jazz harpist and composer, known as one of the most accomplished modern jazz harpists of the time. She faced an uphill battle for much of her career, Ashby was a Black woman, because of the lack of female representation in the jazz scene and because the harp was not popularized outside of classical music at the time. Nevertheless, she managed to make the concert harp dance and paved the way for modern harp music.
Afro-Harping, Ashby’s seventh album, was recorded in 1968. Though the album is undeniably a jazz record, it’s easy to hear Ashby’s omnivorous taste infused throughout. There’s bossa nova, R&B, soul and folk mingling alongside improvised flute, staccato drums and lush harp. That lushness comes alive on Come Live With Me, a track that can only be described as utterly luxurious. After listening, it’s easy to see why NPR described Ashby as one of the most “unjustly under loved jazz greats of the 1950s.”
Enjoy.
Afro-Harping - Dorothy Ashby
Pair this album with:
Les Lunes Astral Blend. This red blend is light, toeing the line between red, rosé, white and orange. It has a lot of red juicy fruit, some bell pepper notes mixed with cranberry. It should be served chilled and is the perfect spring-to-summer wine.
Spicy Roasted Pepper Rigatoni with Ricotta. It’s silky, it’s creamy, it’s pretty simple. The perfect dish to pair with Ashby’s jazz album. Add some zucchini or italian sausage to add a little something extra.
Checkout 19. A novel by Claire-Louise Bennett that strikes a balance between improvisation and masterful storytelling. To me, red wine, pasta and jazz means ending the night with a wonderful novel.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. ✨