Tim Price
06-18-2003, 09:38 PM
RIP- Harold Ashby........
Mr Harold Ashby passed on Friday...in New York City in his hospital room.
He had a number of heart attacks.Very sad.THAT IS ALL I KNOW VIA HIS PASSING AS OF NOW. WHAT A LOSS.
He played with Duke Ellington...was an early session blues saxist in Chicago
playing for the likes of everyone from Jimmy Witherspoon to Muddy Waters to Ike
Turner to Otis Rush.
Ashby was the protege of Ben Webster, the Swing-era tenor saxophonist
renowned for his 1940s tenure with Duke Ellington and numerous fine albums he
made in the ’50s and ’60s. Webster’s unique, magisterial,
creamy-to-barking tone was designed for ballads, but was aces on medium-to-fast
swingers, too. Frog (a Webster nickname) took fellow Kansas City native
“Ash” under his wing and ultimately introduced him to Ellington, with whom
Ashby worked on and off from 1960 until Ellington’s death in 1974. (He stayed
in the band led by Duke’s son, Mercer Ellington; until 1975.)
Even tho he was linked to the Ben Webster lineage, Ashby was never a mere
copy. His sound, gorgeous like his mentor’s, often has a shade more edge and
darkness, and he has more facility than Ben, handling fast tempos with
aplomb.He played an old re-worked LINK mouthpiece that Frank Wells opened up
for him.(as did Frank for Ben Webster!! )
Seventy-three was when Ashby last recorded and he sounded better than ever.I
told him that when I was hangin' out with him one day in N.Y.C ....and he
seemed to agree. Tho, he was never satisfied.Ash to some might of seemed like
he was just chillin' but more often than not...when I visited his small room in
NYC,,,he was practicing tunes and making set lists for his gigs.He had set
lists on "post it" notes all over his fridge.LOL-His horn of choice was a
Selmer balanced action.
One time when I was complaining about reeds to him he stated to me..." Look
here Tim..I don't care wht's happening in those boxes...as long as they ain't
broke....they gonna play because I'll make em' play". ( Dig that..)
He was also an amazing clarinetist but denied it when asked.Think about
it...to play those Ellington parts on clarinet...ya had to be able to play. He
had a killin' LeBlanc clarinet ( they gave him in his Duke days ) along with a
Wells clarinet mouthpiece.
What drew me to his playing immediatly was that, he doesn’t play a lot of
notes, more often going with short phrases for maximum rhythmic impact; and he
can make a repeated single note swing like mad. High tones shake with his sure
vibrato, and contrastingly low bottom notes pop right out.He had superb tonal
and timbral reproduction, and outstanding sonic clarity and detail.Not to
mention...his NOTE CHOICE...was pure good taste. ( ears!!! )
This man's passing is really the end of a great era....a style that was loaded with personality and grace.
If I get any more information I'll post it...till then..it's back to his CDs
and recordings with Duke.I loved him madly for sure.
AND- learned A LOT from his friendship- I was very lucky to have know him like I did.
-Once I went to Battery Park- to hear him with Illinois Jacquets big band. ASH
sat there for a set with NO solo.
The 2ed set...Illinois let Ashby play on " Sweet Georgia Brown"...the chart
had a few hip key modulations that woulda stopped
a lot of tenor players a bit. Ashby went to the mic' lika boxer...and tore
Battery Park up. BROUGHT THE PLACE DOWN!!!!!
People went nuts....it reminded me of Gonsalvez at Newport with Duke.
WILD!!@#@#!
Another time- I heard him play with Jimmy Rowles at a dumb bar in Hells
Kitchen.I wish I had a tape player with me then.
On the cover of the Sax Journal, IN THE ARTICLE I DID ON HIM YEARS AGO, he
had a G# key covered with tin foil so it wouldn't stick...along with a black
ring he wore that was Ben Websters. I just look at that pic'....I'm glad I had....THE PLEASURE....of knowing this man.
He defined tenor playing at it's highest level.He was so inspiring.
RIP bro' Ashby....you sure set a benchmark for all the tenor players for
decades to come.
Mr Harold Ashby passed on Friday...in New York City in his hospital room.
He had a number of heart attacks.Very sad.THAT IS ALL I KNOW VIA HIS PASSING AS OF NOW. WHAT A LOSS.
He played with Duke Ellington...was an early session blues saxist in Chicago
playing for the likes of everyone from Jimmy Witherspoon to Muddy Waters to Ike
Turner to Otis Rush.
Ashby was the protege of Ben Webster, the Swing-era tenor saxophonist
renowned for his 1940s tenure with Duke Ellington and numerous fine albums he
made in the ’50s and ’60s. Webster’s unique, magisterial,
creamy-to-barking tone was designed for ballads, but was aces on medium-to-fast
swingers, too. Frog (a Webster nickname) took fellow Kansas City native
“Ash” under his wing and ultimately introduced him to Ellington, with whom
Ashby worked on and off from 1960 until Ellington’s death in 1974. (He stayed
in the band led by Duke’s son, Mercer Ellington; until 1975.)
Even tho he was linked to the Ben Webster lineage, Ashby was never a mere
copy. His sound, gorgeous like his mentor’s, often has a shade more edge and
darkness, and he has more facility than Ben, handling fast tempos with
aplomb.He played an old re-worked LINK mouthpiece that Frank Wells opened up
for him.(as did Frank for Ben Webster!! )
Seventy-three was when Ashby last recorded and he sounded better than ever.I
told him that when I was hangin' out with him one day in N.Y.C ....and he
seemed to agree. Tho, he was never satisfied.Ash to some might of seemed like
he was just chillin' but more often than not...when I visited his small room in
NYC,,,he was practicing tunes and making set lists for his gigs.He had set
lists on "post it" notes all over his fridge.LOL-His horn of choice was a
Selmer balanced action.
One time when I was complaining about reeds to him he stated to me..." Look
here Tim..I don't care wht's happening in those boxes...as long as they ain't
broke....they gonna play because I'll make em' play". ( Dig that..)
He was also an amazing clarinetist but denied it when asked.Think about
it...to play those Ellington parts on clarinet...ya had to be able to play. He
had a killin' LeBlanc clarinet ( they gave him in his Duke days ) along with a
Wells clarinet mouthpiece.
What drew me to his playing immediatly was that, he doesn’t play a lot of
notes, more often going with short phrases for maximum rhythmic impact; and he
can make a repeated single note swing like mad. High tones shake with his sure
vibrato, and contrastingly low bottom notes pop right out.He had superb tonal
and timbral reproduction, and outstanding sonic clarity and detail.Not to
mention...his NOTE CHOICE...was pure good taste. ( ears!!! )
This man's passing is really the end of a great era....a style that was loaded with personality and grace.
If I get any more information I'll post it...till then..it's back to his CDs
and recordings with Duke.I loved him madly for sure.
AND- learned A LOT from his friendship- I was very lucky to have know him like I did.
-Once I went to Battery Park- to hear him with Illinois Jacquets big band. ASH
sat there for a set with NO solo.
The 2ed set...Illinois let Ashby play on " Sweet Georgia Brown"...the chart
had a few hip key modulations that woulda stopped
a lot of tenor players a bit. Ashby went to the mic' lika boxer...and tore
Battery Park up. BROUGHT THE PLACE DOWN!!!!!
People went nuts....it reminded me of Gonsalvez at Newport with Duke.
WILD!!@#@#!
Another time- I heard him play with Jimmy Rowles at a dumb bar in Hells
Kitchen.I wish I had a tape player with me then.
On the cover of the Sax Journal, IN THE ARTICLE I DID ON HIM YEARS AGO, he
had a G# key covered with tin foil so it wouldn't stick...along with a black
ring he wore that was Ben Websters. I just look at that pic'....I'm glad I had....THE PLEASURE....of knowing this man.
He defined tenor playing at it's highest level.He was so inspiring.
RIP bro' Ashby....you sure set a benchmark for all the tenor players for
decades to come.