Rob Price
Gutbrain Records
rob + gutbrain.com = email

2014 February 12 • Wednesday

Jazz harp is a pretty small niche. I thought it was just Dorothy Ashby and that I was pretty hip for knowing about her. But recently Betty Glamann came to my attention.

According to the back of this record, Glamann was "first harpist for a symphony orchestra broadcasting twice weekly on NBC" when she was only thirteen years old. After getting a degree in music (and learning French, Spanish and Portuguese) she played harp for the Baltimore Symphony and then for Spike Jones and His Orchestra. From there she moved on to playing for Broadway shows.

She started to get into jazz and made some appearances on television while starting up a combo with bassist Rufus Smith. Duke Ellington apparently got her to join his orchestra after hearing her.

This record is a great collection of standards with a couple of originals by Rufus Smith, who also plays bass. He and Glamann are joined by Osie Johnson on drums, Barry Galbraith on guitar and Eddie Costa on vibes and celeste. It's a wonderful album. Fans of Dorothy Ashby will enjoy it.