Born in Detroit in 1932, Dorothy Ashby can be easily recognized as the woman who gave the harp a jazz voice. In her hands, the harp, an originally classical instrument which seemed to just scare people, became a highly versatile swinging voice able to drive a whole jazz rhythm section. Recorded in 1958 by master Rudy Van Gelder and originally released on the Prestige label, Hip Harp is a perfect example of Ashby's artistry. At the head of a fine quartet featuring the great Frank Wess on flute, Herman Wright on bass, and master Art Taylor on drums, Ashby creates a unique combination of deeply jazz elements expressed through a totally new sound.
Dorothy is releasing their 2nd full-length album 28 Days in the Valley on 3/9 for Jay Z's Roc Nation. Linda Perry produced & co-wrote several tracks which even with more tender moments still has the gritty rock n roll of 2016's ROCKISDEAD. Recent single "Down To the Bottom" hit #35 on Billboards Mainstream Rock chart. Rolling Stone calls it the "perfect mix of blues thunder and alt-rock guitar crunch." But this time around added layers of emotion fueled by less metal-more Cali desert rock vibes.
Gifts From The Holy Ghost, Dorothy Martin's third studio album as frontwoman for their pseudonymous rock band Dorothy, is the album she's always wanted to make. Born from a sense of diving urgency, it's their most bombastic rock n' roll work yet. While the debut album was made on a combination of whiskey and heartbreak, Gifts was built on sobriety, health, and spiritualism, in a way that reverses the cliched "good girl gone bad" narrative.
Featuring 4 works receiving their world premiere recording, Signum Classics are proud to annouce the new album 'Dorothy Howell: Orchestral Works' conducted by Rebecca Miller with the BBC Concert Orchestra. Until now these works have rarely been performed, and the majority of works are unpublished and only exist in manuscript form. "I hope this album can help to revive Dorothy's music, to help her live on, to finally have the recognition she deserved and never received, and to secure this music's rightful place in the centre of the classical music repertoire" - Rebecca Miller