Billy Harper (born January 17, 1943) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

saxophonist, "one of a generation of Coltrane-influenced tenor saxophonists" with a distinctively stern, hard-as-nails sound on his instrument.Chris Kelsey
Billy Harper Biography
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AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

Biography

He was born in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, United States. In 1965, Harper earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public university, public research university located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its main campus is in Denton, Texas, Denton, with a satellite campus in Frisco, Texas, Frisco. It serves as the ...

. Harper has played with some of jazz's greatest drummers; he served with

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

's Messengers for two years (1968–1970); he played very briefly with

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such albums as ''My Fa ...

(1970), he played with

the Thad Jones/ Mel Lewis Orchestra The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra was a jazz big band formed by trumpeter Thad Jones and drummer Mel Lewis in New York in 1965.Lisik/Allen. 50 Years at the Village Vanguard:Thad Jone, Mel Lewis and the Village Vanguard Orchestra. Sky Deck ...

in the 1970s, and was a member of

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He wo ...

's quartet from 1971–1978. In 1979, Harper formed his own group, touring with it and documenting its music on the recording '' Billy Harper Quintet in Europe'', and he was featured as a soloist on a 1983 recording, ''Such Great Friends'', with virtuoso, visionary pianist and record producer Stanley Cowell. After a period of relative inactivity in the 1980s, Harper came back strong with another international tour, which ended with perhaps his most ambitious recording: the three-volume '' Live on Tour in the Far East'' (1991). In the new millennium, Harper's recording activity has been subdued and sporadic, though more recently he appeared as a regular member of pianist-jazz historian

Randy Weston Randolph Edward "Randy" Weston (April 6, 1926 – September 1, 2018) was an American jazz pianist and composer whose creativity was inspired by his ancestral African connection. Weston's piano style owed much to Duke Ellington and Thelonious M ...

's ensembles. In 2013, they recorded their first album as a duo, entitled ''The Roots of the Blues''. A retrospective of Billy Harper's career would include the following among its highlights: The saxophonist performed on

Gil Evans Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian Americans, Canadian–American jazz pianist, Music arranger, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators i ...

' 1973 album ''

Svengali Svengali () is a character in the novel ''Trilby'' which was first published in 1894 by George du Maurier. Svengali is a Jewish man who seduces, dominates and exploits Trilby, a young half-Irish girl, and makes her into a famous singer. Defini ...

'', and contributed two of the most-performed tunes in the band's repertoire: "Priestess" and "Thoroughbred". Harper's own 1973 album ''Capra Black'' "remains one of the seminal recordings of jazz's black consciousness movement – a profoundly spiritual effort that channels both the intellectual complexity of the avant garde as well as the emotional potency of gospel".Jason Ankeny
''Capra Black'' review
''

'' The Italian jazz label

Black Saint Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italy, Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History ...

was launched with Harper's 1975 album, ''Black Saint''. His later releases have mostly been on SteepleChase and Evidence Records. Long associated almost exclusively with the inner circle of the New York City jazz scene — except for breaks while touring with his ensembles to Europe and the far East — Harper, in mid-2017, suddenly attained a degree of international prominence, because of his short but key role in the acclaimed jazz film, '' I Called Him Morgan''. Released for home streaming and purchase in June 2017, the film documents the music and life of trumpet prodigy

Lee Morgan Edward Lee Morgan (July 10, 1938 – February 19, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. One of the key hard bop musicians of the 1960s and a cornerstone of the Blue Note Records, Blue Note label, Morgan came to prominence in his la ...

and the woman who saves and restores him after he hit rock bottom due to heroin addiction. It is a movie that makes the viewer a partner with its Swedish director, in his seven-year search for the evidence that might help explain how the same woman who was Morgan's savior, would become his killer at the instant he was retaking the bandstand for the last set at Slug's Saloon, a jazz club on the

Bowery The Bowery () is a street and neighbourhood, neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City, New York. The street runs from Chatham Square at Park Row (Manhattan), Park Row, Worth Street, and Mott Street in the south to Cooper Square at 4th ...

in lower East

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. Walking right alongside Lee Morgan at this moment — the someone who hears a "bang" that for the next several extended seconds leaves both men — the actual victim and the bandmate — equally stunned and confused — was Billy Harper.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

*1973: '' Capra Black'' ( Strata-East) *1974: '' Jon & Billy'' (Trio) – with Jon Faddis *1975: ''

(Billy Harper Quintet On Tour In Europe '75)'' (

) *1977: ''Love on the Sudan'' (

Denon is a Japanese electronics company dealing with audio equipment. The Denon brand came from a merger of Denki Onkyo (not to be confused with the other Onkyo) and others in 1939. It originally started as Nippon Chikuonki Shoukai in 1910 by Freder ...

) *1977: '' Soran-Bushi, B.H.'' (Denon) *1978: ''Knowledge of Self'' (Denon) *1979: '' Billy Harper Quintet in Europe'' (

Soul Note Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

) *1979: '' The Awakening'' (

Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret. Notable Marges include: People * Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist * Marge Anderson (1932–2013), Ojibwe ...

) *1979: '' Trying to Make Heaven My Home'' (Saba/ MPS) *1980: '' The Believer'' (Baystate/RVC) *1980: ''Billy Harper Quintet'' ive(PolJazz) *1989: '' Destiny Is Yours'' ( Steeplechase) *1991: '' Live on Tour in the Far East'' (Steeplechase) *1991: '' Live on Tour in the Far East Vol. 2'' (Steeplechase) *1991: ''

Live on Tour in the Far East Vol. 3 '' Live on Tour in the Far East Vol. 3 ''is a live album led by saxophonist Billy Harper recorded in 1991 in Korea and released on the SteepleChase label.Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

'' (

Evidence Evidence for a proposition is what supports the proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the proposition is truth, true. The exact definition and role of evidence vary across different fields. In epistemology, evidence is what J ...

) *1997: '' If Our Hearts Could Only See'' ( DIW) *1999: '' Soul of an Angel'' (Metropolitan) *2008: '' Blueprints of Jazz Vol. 2'' (

Talking House Records Talking or Talkin' may refer to: * Speech, the product of the action of ''to talk'' * Communication by spoken words; conversation or discussion Songs * "Talking" (A Flock of Seagulls song), 1983 * "Talking" (The Rifles song), 2007 * " Talking / ...

) *2013: ''The Roots of the Blues'' ( Sunnyside) – with

As sideman

With

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

*'' Louis Armstrong and His Friends'' (Flying Dutchman/Amsterdam, 1970) With Horacee Arnold * ''

Tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

'' ( Columbia, 1973) With

* ''Live! Vol. 1'' (Everest, 1968) * ''Moanin (LRC, 1968) With Joe Bonner *'' Angel Eyes'' (Muse, 1976) With Stanley Cowell * ''Such Great Friends'' (Strata-East, 1983) With

Charles Earland Charles Earland (May 24, 1941 – December 11, 1999) was an American jazz organist. Biography Earland was born in Philadelphia and learned to play the saxophone in high school. He played tenor with Jimmy McGriff at the age of 17 and in 1960 fo ...

* ''

Intensity Intensity may refer to: In colloquial use * Strength (disambiguation) *Amplitude * Level (disambiguation) * Magnitude (disambiguation) In physical sciences Physics *Intensity (physics), power per unit area (W/m2) *Field strength of electric, m ...

'' (

Prestige Prestige may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films *Prestige (film), ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnett: woman travels to French Indochina to meet up with husband *The Prestige (film), ''The Prestige'' (fi ...

, 1972) * ''

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

'' (Prestige, 1972–1973) With

* ''

Blues in Orbit ''Blues in Orbit'' is an album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington recorded for the Columbia label in 1959 and released in 1960.

'' ( Enja, 1969–1971) * '' Where Flamingos Fly'' ( Artists House, 1971) * ''

'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

, 1973) * ''

The Gil Evans Orchestra Plays the Music of Jimi Hendrix ''The Gil Evans Orchestra Plays the Music of Jimi Hendrix'' is an album of Jimi Hendrix's compositions by jazz composer, conductor and pianist Gil Evans. The music was arranged by Evans and members of his orchestra. The album was recorded in 1974 ...

'' (

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

, 1974) * '' There Comes a Time'' (RCA, 1975) With

Sonny Fortune Cornelius "Sonny" Fortune (May 19, 1939 – October 25, 2018) was an American jazz saxophonist. He played soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, clarinet, and flute. Biography He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Af ...

* ''Great Friends'' ( Black & Blue, 1986) With

Bobbi Humphrey Barbara Ann "Bobbi" Humphrey (born April 25, 1950) is an American jazz flautist and singer. She has recorded twelve albums over the course of her career, mostly playing jazz fusion, funk, and soul-jazz. In 1971, she was the first female instrume ...

* '' Flute-In'' (

Blue Note Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue no ...

, 1971) With The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra * ''

Consummation The consummation of a marriage, or simply consummation, is the first officially credited act of sexual intercourse following marriage. In many traditions and statutes of civil or religious law, the definition usually refers to penile–vaginal p ...

'' (Blue Note, 1970) * ''

Potpourri Potpourri ( ) is a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant materials used to provide a gentle natural scent, commonly in residential settings. It is often placed in a decorative bowl. Etymology The word "potpourri" comes into English from ...

'' (

Philadelphia International Philadelphia International Records was an American record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1971 by songwriting and production duo Gamble and Huff, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, along with their longtime collaborator ...

, 1974) * '' Suite for Pops'' (

Horizon The horizon is the apparent curve that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This curve divides all viewing directions based on whethe ...

/ A&M, 1975) With Mark Masters Jazz Orchestra * ''Priestess'' (

Capri Capri ( , ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. A popular resort destination since the time of the Roman Republic, its natural beauty ...

, 1990) – with Jimmy Knepper With

Grachan Moncur III Grachan Moncur III (June 3, 1937 – June 3, 2022) was an American jazz trombonist. He was the son of jazz bassist Grachan Moncur II and the nephew of jazz saxophonist Al Cooper. Biography Born in New York City, United States, (his paternal gra ...

* ''

Exploration Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...

'' (Capri, 2004) With

* '' The Last Session'' (Blue Note, 1971) * ''We Remember You'' (

Fresh Sound Fresh Sound, or Fresh Sound New Talent, is a jazz record label established in Barcelona, Spain, by Jordi Pujol. The label was initially founded as a reissue label. The catalog includes work by musicians both major and minor that was recorded be ...

, 1972) With

* ''

Lift Every Voice and Sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" is a hymn with lyrics by James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) and set to music by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson (1873–1954). Written from the context of African Americans in the late 19th century, the hymn is a pr ...

'' (Atlantic, 1971) * ''Live in Tokyo Vol. 1'' (

, 1977) * ''Live in Tokyo Vol. 2'' (Denon, 1977) * ''The Loadstar'' ( Horo, 1977) * ''Live in Amsterdam'' (Baystate/RVC, 1977) * ''Confirmation'' (Fluid, 1978) With

Woody Shaw Woody Herman Shaw Jr. (December 24, 1944 – May 10, 1989) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, arranger, band leader, and educator. Shaw is widely known as one of the 20th century's most important and influentia ...

* '' Love Dance'' (

Muse In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...

, 1975) With

Leon Thomas Amos Leon Thomas Jr. (October 4, 1937 – May 8, 1999), known professionally as Leon Thomas, was an American jazz and blues vocalist, born in East St. Louis, Illinois, and known for his bellowing glottal-stop style of free jazz singing in the ...

*'' The Leon Thomas Album'' (Flying Dutchman, 1970) With Malachi Thompson *'' 47th Street'' (Delmark, 1997) * '' Freebop Now!'' (Delmark, 1998) * '' Blue Jazz'' (Delmark, 2003) – with Gary Bartz With Charles Tolliver * ''

With Love With Love may refer to: Music Albums * '' ...with Love'', by Mary Byrne * ''With Love'' (Amanda Lear album), 2006 * ''With Love'' (Bobby Vinton album), 1974 * ''With Love'' (Charles Tolliver album), 2006 * '' With Love, Chér'', 1967 * ''Wi ...

'' (

Mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

/Blue Note, 2006) * '' Emperor March: Live at the Blue Note'' (

Half Note In music, a half note (American) or minim (British) is a Musical note, note played for half the duration of a whole note (or semibreve) and twice the duration of a quarter note (or crotchet). It was given its Latin name (''minima'', meaning "le ...

, 2008 009 With

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet from 1960 to 1965, and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Masters, NEA J ...

* '' Journey'' (Birdology, 1993) With

Barney McAll Barney McAll is a jazz pianist and composer who lives in Melbourne, Australia. McAll joined Gary Bartz's band in 1997, and has also played with the Josh Roseman Unit, Fred Wesley and the JB's, Groove Collective, and Kurt Rosenwinkel's "Hear ...

* ''Widening Circles'' (Extra Celestial Arts, 1998) With

* '' Tanjah'' (

Polydor Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

, 1973) * ''

Carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

'' (

Freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...

, 1974) * '' The Spirits of Our Ancestors'' (

Antilles The Antilles is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north and east. The Antillean islands are divided into two smaller groupings: the Greater An ...

/ Verve, 1991) * ''Saga'' (Verve, 1995) * ''The Roots of the Blues'' ( Sunnyside, 2013) With Piotr Wojtasik * ''Quest'' (Power Bros Records – PB 00147, 1996)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Billy 1943 births Living people American jazz educators American jazz flautists Soul-jazz saxophonists Hard bop saxophonists Rutgers University faculty University of North Texas College of Music alumni Musicians from Houston Strata-East Records artists 21st-century American saxophonists Jazz musicians from Houston Jazz musicians from Texas The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra members 21st-century American flautists The Jazz Messengers members