Rufus Harley
Encyclopedia
Rufus Harley, Jr. was an American
jazz
musician of mixed Cherokee
and African ancestry, known primarily as the first jazz musician to adopt the Scottish great Highland bagpipe
as his primary instrument.
. He began playing the C melody saxophone
at age 12, and also played trumpet
. At the age of 22, he began studying saxophone, flute, oboe, and clarinet
with Dennis Sandole
(1913–2000), an Italian American
jazz guitar
ist who also taught several other Philadelphia jazz musicians.
Harley became inspired to learn the bagpipe after seeing the Black Watch
perform in John F. Kennedy's funeral procession
in November 1963. Then a maintenance worker for the Philadelphia's housing authority, Harley began searching the city for a set of bagpipes. Failing to find one, he traveled to New York City
where he found a set in a Jewish-operated pawn shop. He purchased the instrument for US$120, quickly adapting it to the idioms of jazz, blues
, and funk
. On several occasions, when a neighbor called the police to complain about Harley's practicing in his apartment, he would quickly put away his bagpipes and feign ignorance, asking the officers, "Do I look like I'm Irish or Scottish to you?" He eventually acquired a better set of bagpipes, which cost him a little over US$1,000.
Harley made his bagpipe performance debut in 1964. From 1965 to 1970 he released four recordings as leader on the Atlantic
label (all produced by Joel Dorn
, an early supporter), also recording as a sideman with Herbie Mann
, Sonny Stitt
, and Sonny Rollins
in the 1960s and 1970s. He later recorded with Laurie Anderson
(appearing on her 1982 album Big Science
) and The Roots
(on their 1995 album Do You Want More?!!!??!
), the latter coming about due to a 1994 appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show
. In addition to bagpipes, on these albums he also occasionally plays tenor saxophone
, flute, or electric soprano saxophone
.
Harley often wore Scottish garb, including a kilt
, in conjunction with a Viking
-style horned helmet
. After seeing him perform on television, a Scottish family gave him his tartan
, the MacLeod
tartan, which he wore for the rest of his life. His bagpipe technique was somewhat unorthodox in that he placed the drones over his right shoulder rather than his left. He favored the key of B-flat minor.
Harley lived for much of his life in the Germantown
neighborhood of Northwest
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, and frequently gave presentations in Philadelphia-area public schools
. During his frequent overseas performance tours, he carried and distributed miniature replicas of the Liberty Bell
, the symbol of his hometown, as well as American flags and copies of the U.S. Constitution
. He appeared on a number of television programs, including What's My Line?
, To Tell the Truth
(March 22, 1965 and again c. 2000), I've Got a Secret
(October 17, 1966), and The Arsenio Hall Show. He also had a small role in Francis Ford Coppola
's 1966 comedy film You're a Big Boy Now
, as well as Eddie and the Cruisers
(1983). In addition to his performing career, he worked for the Philadelphia Housing Authority for many years.
He died at Philadelphia's Albert Einstein Medical Center on July 31, 2006 of prostate cancer
. He is survived by his former wife Barbara Jean Jones, 16 children, and 15 grandchildren. One of his sons, Messiah Patton Harley, also of Philadelphia, is a trumpeter who often performed with his father.
A new documentary film entitled Pipes of Peace, an intimate profile of the late Philadelphia musician, directed and produced by fellow Philadelphian George Manney, was released by Brotherly Love All-Star Tour productions in 2008.
A posthumous retrospective on Rhino Handmade, Courage - The Atlantic Recordings, was released in November 2006 as a 3,000 copy limited edition, and contains all the tracks from his four Atlantic LPs, plus an unreleased track of Pete Seeger
and Joe Hickerson
's composition Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
recorded in 1969.
With Herbie Mann
With Sonny Rollins
With The Roots
:
With Sonny Stitt
:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician of mixed Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
and African ancestry, known primarily as the first jazz musician to adopt the Scottish great Highland bagpipe
Great Highland Bagpipe
The Great Highland Bagpipe is a type of bagpipe native to Scotland. It has achieved widespread recognition through its usage in the British military and in pipe bands throughout the world. It is closely related to the Great Irish Warpipes....
as his primary instrument.
Biography
Although born near Raleigh, North Carolina, at an early age Harley moved with his mother to a poor neighborhood in North Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaNorth Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
North Philadelphia, nicknamed North Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is immediately north of Center City...
. He began playing the C melody saxophone
C melody saxophone
The C melody saxophone is a saxophone pitched in the key of C, one whole step above the tenor saxophone. In the UK it is sometimes referred to as a "C tenor", and in France as a "tenor en ut". The C melody was part of the series of saxophones pitched in C and F, intended by the instrument's...
at age 12, and also played trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
. At the age of 22, he began studying saxophone, flute, oboe, and clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
with Dennis Sandole
Dennis Sandole
Dennis Sandole , 1913-2000, was a jazz guitarist, composer and music educator from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a music educator and performer he left his fingerprint on music history. His students most notably included John Coltrane and Pat Martino, as well as lesser-known musicians such as...
(1913–2000), an Italian American
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
jazz guitar
Jazz guitar
The term jazz guitar may refer to either a type of guitar or to the variety of guitar playing styles used in the various genres which are commonly termed "jazz"...
ist who also taught several other Philadelphia jazz musicians.
Harley became inspired to learn the bagpipe after seeing the Black Watch
Black Watch
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The unit's traditional colours were retired in 2011 in a ceremony led by Queen Elizabeth II....
perform in John F. Kennedy's funeral procession
State funeral of John F. Kennedy
The state funeral of John F. Kennedy took place in Washington, DC during the three days that followed his assassination on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas....
in November 1963. Then a maintenance worker for the Philadelphia's housing authority, Harley began searching the city for a set of bagpipes. Failing to find one, he traveled to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he found a set in a Jewish-operated pawn shop. He purchased the instrument for US$120, quickly adapting it to the idioms of jazz, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, and funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
. On several occasions, when a neighbor called the police to complain about Harley's practicing in his apartment, he would quickly put away his bagpipes and feign ignorance, asking the officers, "Do I look like I'm Irish or Scottish to you?" He eventually acquired a better set of bagpipes, which cost him a little over US$1,000.
Harley made his bagpipe performance debut in 1964. From 1965 to 1970 he released four recordings as leader on the Atlantic
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
label (all produced by Joel Dorn
Joel Dorn
Joel Dorn was an American jazz and R&B music producer and record label entrepreneur. He worked at Atlantic Records, and later founded the 32 Jazz, Label M, and Hyena Records labels...
, an early supporter), also recording as a sideman with Herbie Mann
Herbie Mann
Herbert Jay Solomon , better known as Herbie Mann, was a Jewish American jazz flutist and important early practitioner of world music...
, Sonny Stitt
Sonny Stitt
Edward "Sonny" Stitt was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. He was also one of the best-documented saxophonists of his generation, recording over 100 albums in his lifetime...
, and Sonny Rollins
Sonny Rollins
Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is a Grammy-winning American jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. A number of his compositions, including "St...
in the 1960s and 1970s. He later recorded with Laurie Anderson
Laurie Anderson
Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson is an American experimental performance artist, composer and musician who plays violin and keyboards and sings in a variety of experimental music and art rock styles. Initially trained as a sculptor, Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s...
(appearing on her 1982 album Big Science
Big Science (album)
Big Science is the 1982 debut album by avant-garde artist Laurie Anderson and the first of a 7-album deal she signed with Warner Bros. Records. It is best known for the 8-minute epic "O Superman", which reached #2 in the UK. The album is minimalist and monochrome in sound, and like a great deal of...
) and The Roots
The Roots
The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
(on their 1995 album Do You Want More?!!!??!
Do You Want More?!!!??!
Do You Want More?!!!??! is the second studio album by American hip hop band The Roots, released January 17, 1995 on DGC Records. The band's major label-debut, it was released two years after their independent debut album, Organix . Do You Want More?!!!??! has been considered by critics as a classic...
), the latter coming about due to a 1994 appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show
The Arsenio Hall Show
The Arsenio Hall Show is an American variety/talk show that aired late weeknights in syndication from January 3, 1989 to May 27, 1994. The show was created and hosted by comedian/actor Arsenio Hall.- Background :...
. In addition to bagpipes, on these albums he also occasionally plays tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
, flute, or electric soprano saxophone
Soprano saxophone
The soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in...
.
Harley often wore Scottish garb, including a kilt
Kilt
The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic heritage even more broadly...
, in conjunction with a Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
-style horned helmet
Horned helmet
European Bronze Age and Iron Age helmets with horns are known from a few depictions, and even fewer actual finds. Such helmets mounted with animal horns or replicas of them were probably used for religious ceremonial or ritual purposes.-Prehistoric Europe:...
. After seeing him perform on television, a Scottish family gave him his tartan
Tartan
Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns...
, the MacLeod
MacLeod
MacLeod and McLeod are surnames in the English language. Variant forms of the names are Macleod and Mcleod.Generally, the names are considered to be Anglicised forms of the Scottish Gaelic MacLeòid, meaning "son of Leòd". However, in some cases the names can also be Anglicised forms of the Irish...
tartan, which he wore for the rest of his life. His bagpipe technique was somewhat unorthodox in that he placed the drones over his right shoulder rather than his left. He favored the key of B-flat minor.
Harley lived for much of his life in the Germantown
Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Germantown is a neighborhood in the northwest section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, about 7–8 miles northwest from the center of the city...
neighborhood of Northwest
Northwest Philadelphia
Northwest Philadelphia is a section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The official boundary is Stenton Avenue to the north, the Schuylkill river to the south, Spring Ln to the west, and Wister Street to the east. The area is divided by Wissahickon Creek into two subsections...
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, and frequently gave presentations in Philadelphia-area public schools
School District of Philadelphia
The School District of Philadelphia is a school district based in the School District of Philadelphia Education Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that includes all public schools in the city of Philadelphia. Established in 1818, it is the eighth largest school district in the nation.The School...
. During his frequent overseas performance tours, he carried and distributed miniature replicas of the Liberty Bell
Liberty Bell
The Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American Independence, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formerly placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House , the bell was commissioned from the London firm of Lester and Pack in 1752, and was cast with the lettering "Proclaim LIBERTY...
, the symbol of his hometown, as well as American flags and copies of the U.S. Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
. He appeared on a number of television programs, including What's My Line?
What's My Line?
What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations....
, To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth is an American television panel game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired in various forms since 1956 both on networks and in syndication...
(March 22, 1965 and again c. 2000), I've Got a Secret
I've Got a Secret
I've Got a Secret is a panel game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television. Created by comedy writers Allan Sherman and Howard Merrill, it was a derivative of Goodson-Todman's own panel show What's My Line?...
(October 17, 1966), and The Arsenio Hall Show. He also had a small role in Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
's 1966 comedy film You're a Big Boy Now
You're a Big Boy Now
You're a Big Boy Now is a 1966 film with Peter Kastner, Elizabeth Hartman, Geraldine Page, Julie Harris and Karen Black, written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola based on a 1963 novel, also titled You're a Big Boy Now, by David Benedictus....
, as well as Eddie and the Cruisers
Eddie and the Cruisers
Eddie and the Cruisers is a 1983 American film directed by Martin Davidson with the screenplay written by the director and Arlene Davidson, based on the novel by P. F. Kluge...
(1983). In addition to his performing career, he worked for the Philadelphia Housing Authority for many years.
He died at Philadelphia's Albert Einstein Medical Center on July 31, 2006 of prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
. He is survived by his former wife Barbara Jean Jones, 16 children, and 15 grandchildren. One of his sons, Messiah Patton Harley, also of Philadelphia, is a trumpeter who often performed with his father.
A new documentary film entitled Pipes of Peace, an intimate profile of the late Philadelphia musician, directed and produced by fellow Philadelphian George Manney, was released by Brotherly Love All-Star Tour productions in 2008.
A posthumous retrospective on Rhino Handmade, Courage - The Atlantic Recordings, was released in November 2006 as a 3,000 copy limited edition, and contains all the tracks from his four Atlantic LPs, plus an unreleased track of Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
and Joe Hickerson
Joe Hickerson
Joe Hickerson is a noted folk singer and songleader. For 35 years he was Librarian and Director of the Archive of Folk Song at the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress...
's composition Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
"Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" is a folk song. The first three verses were written by Pete Seeger in 1955, and published in Sing Out! magazine...
recorded in 1969.
As leader
- 1966 - Bagpipe Blues
- 1967 - Scotch & Soul
- 1968 - A Tribute to Courage
- 1970 - King/Queens (bagpipes; with Nadi Qamar, mamlukembia and Madagascar harp; and instrumental ensemble composed of Richard Tee, piano; Eric Gale, guitar; Chuck Rainey, electric bass guitar; Jimmy Johnson, drum; Montego Joe [Sanders], conga)
- 1972 - Re-Creation of the Gods
- 1998 - Brotherly Love (first NAm CD; Tartan Pride label; Peter Amahl, drums; Tony Cesarano, guitar; produced by Ralph Stevenson, Jr.)
- 2000 - The Pied Piper of Jazz (compilation of Atlantic tracks, 1965–70)
- 2005 - Sustain
- 2009 - Re-Creation of the Gods CD reissue on Transparency Label
- 2009 - Bagpipes of the World released by Transparency
- 2006 - Courage: The Atlantic Recordings (Rhino Handmade - Limited edition of 3,000 copies)
As sideman
With Laurie AndersonLaurie Anderson
Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson is an American experimental performance artist, composer and musician who plays violin and keyboards and sings in a variety of experimental music and art rock styles. Initially trained as a sculptor, Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s...
- 1982 - Big ScienceBig Science (album)Big Science is the 1982 debut album by avant-garde artist Laurie Anderson and the first of a 7-album deal she signed with Warner Bros. Records. It is best known for the 8-minute epic "O Superman", which reached #2 in the UK. The album is minimalist and monochrome in sound, and like a great deal of...
(bagpipe on "Sweaters")
With Herbie Mann
Herbie Mann
Herbert Jay Solomon , better known as Herbie Mann, was a Jewish American jazz flutist and important early practitioner of world music...
- 1967 - The Wailing Dervishes (on "Flute Bag")
With Sonny Rollins
Sonny Rollins
Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is a Grammy-winning American jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. A number of his compositions, including "St...
- 1974 - The Cutting EdgeThe Cutting Edge (album)The Cutting Edge is a live album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival and released on the Milestone label in 1974, featuring performances by Rollins with Stanley Cowell, Yoshiaki Masuo, Bob Cranshaw, David Lee and Mtume with Rufus Harley joining on one...
(on "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot")
With The Roots
The Roots
The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
:
- 1995 - Do You Want More?!!!??!Do You Want More?!!!??!Do You Want More?!!!??! is the second studio album by American hip hop band The Roots, released January 17, 1995 on DGC Records. The band's major label-debut, it was released two years after their independent debut album, Organix . Do You Want More?!!!??! has been considered by critics as a classic...
With Sonny Stitt
Sonny Stitt
Edward "Sonny" Stitt was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. He was also one of the best-documented saxophonists of his generation, recording over 100 albums in his lifetime...
:
- 1967 - Deuces Wild (tenor saxophone and bagpipes)
Films
- 2008 - Pipes of Peace: Rufus Harley. 2008. DVD video 1 videodisc (53 min.) : sd., col., ; 4 in.
External links
- Rufus Harley biography from Hip Wax
- Pipes of Peace, Rufus Harley documentary
- http://www.viceland.com/int/v10n2/htdocs/what_the.phpInterview with VICE magazineVice (magazine)VICE is a free magazine and media conglomerate founded in Montreal, Quebec and currently based in New York City.Vice is available in 27 countries...
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