Ross, Margaret (6 October 1925-23 January 2005)

What can you say about a harpist who duetted with Emanuel Vardi on Arnold Bax’s “Fantasy Sonata” and appeared on Idris Muhammad’s Turn This Mutha Out?

Margaret Ross had an incredibly eclectic career, including stints with The Brandeis Jazz Festival Ensemble and the Gunther Schuller/George Russell Orchestra. When Curtis Biever wrote his Elizabethan tribute “Sixteen Sonnets of William Shakespeare”, it was Margaret Ross whom he entrusted to play the harp. The same goes for Mel Powell, whose “Divertimento for Harp” Margaret premiered with Herb Sorkin.

Judging from her discography, which is much too long to list in toto, a lot of other people felt the same way about Margaret’s playing: The “short” list of artists and groups with whom she recorded include Burt Bacharach, Celi Bee, George Benson, James Brown, Judy Collins, Perry Como, Miles Davis, Enchantment, The Escorts, Bill Evans, Ron Frangipane, Aretha Franklin, Debbie Gibson, Astrud Gilberto, Tim Hardin, Billie Holiday, Milt Jackson, Michael Johnson, Quincy Jones, Chaka Khan, Earl Klugh, Lotte Lenya, Wes Montgomery, Peter, Paul & Mary, Della Reese, Lalo Schifrin, Carly Simon, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Smith, Patti Smith, Phoebe Snow, Gabor Szabo, John Tropea, Frankie Valli, Luther Vandross, Grover Washington, Jr., and Zulema.

She even appeared on the soundtrack of The Wiz. Some of her other high-profile recordings include Carly Simon’s Boys in the Trees and Frank Sinatra’s Trilogy.

Frank Sinatra recordings
That’s What God Looks Like To Me (Stan Irvin/Lan O’Kun)
Reprise RPS 49233 (XNY2101S) (US 45)

Theme from “New York, New York” (Fred Ebb/John Kander)
Reprise RPS49233 (XNY 2103 S) (US 45)

Sources:

Ross, Margaret (6 October 1925-23 January 2005)

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