Dorothy Ashby was the pioneer harpist who opened up the instrument to Black musicians like me | Music
I began playing harp at 11 and the traditional path to follow with the instrument was the classical music one, where all the players I saw or studied were white. I found it quite an isolating, lonely life being the only Black person at every harp event or recital I went to. At the same time, growing up in New York, I was surrounded by hip-hop. One day I heard an amazing harp sample on a Pete Rock track and realised I could improvise and incorporate these other types of music on the instrument too. But I had no idea who…