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Rufus Harley

Rufus Harley, “the world’s first jazz bagpiper”, was born on May 20, 1936 near Raleigh, N.C. but grew up in a working class neighborhood in Philadelphia where his family moved when he was two years of age. He started playing the C melody saxophone and trumpet at age 12. In his later teens he worked as a paper boy to raise enough money to buy a tenor saxophone so that he can play in the high school band but at age 16 he dropped out of school and worked odd jobs to help support his family. He continued, however, to take music lessons on the saxophone, oboe, clarinet and flute from Dennis Sandole, a Philadelphia area guitarist and music teacher. He made his professional debut in Mickey Collins’ band at age 18 at a local jazz club. He continued to play the tenor saxophone at local clubs for several years until he took up the bagpipes.

His lifelong interest in bagpipes started on November 22 1963 when he watched the Scottish infantry bagpipers; the Black Watch play at President Kennedy’s funeral. He was greatly moved by the mournful sound of the instrument but failed to recreate it on the different reed instruments he was familiar with. He called around and was unable to locate a set of bagpipes until he found one, during a New York City visit, at a pawnshop. He acquired the set for $120 and several months later he started playing it at a night club in West Philadelphia called Squeaky’s. His immense musical talent made the unwieldy instrument much more than a curiosity in his hands. A home demo recording was sent to Atlantic records and Joel Dorn, the producer there at the time offered him a contract. He recorded four albums as a leader for Atlantic including his debut Bagpipe Blues. Over the course of those four records and several appearances as side musician he adapted the bagpipes to different genres of improvisational music starting with hard bop and soul jazz and moving towards more spiritual jazz- funk. His masterpiece Re-Creation of the Gods was recorded in 1972 and it was the last session he would lead until the late 1990s.

Through out his life he continued to perform regularly in Philadelphia clubs, appear on TV shows and films and tour both the US and Europe. During his European tours he was famous for giving out miniaturized replicas of the Liberty Bell, copies of the Constitution and American flags.

Unconventional Instruments

by Karl Ackermann
July 27, 2021

ECM regularly tops lists of the best jazz labels though their full name--Edition of Contemporary Music--would argue for a broader scope of content. A substantial number of their most popular albums, such as Carla Bley's Escalator Over The Hill (1974), Egberto Gismonti: Dança Dos Escravos (1989), Nils Petter Molvær's Khmer (1997), and many more, are not jazz per se. At least not by the traditional criteria. Looking at the presence of unusual instruments in jazz requires that we ...

Building a Jazz Library

Rare and Unusual Instruments in Jazz

by Hrayr Attarian
March 29, 2015

Historically the cornet was the quintessential jazz instrument but over a century of its evolution other instruments have also become part of the regular jazz armamentarium. These include common ones such as the piano, saxophone, bass and drums to the more occasionally appearing violin, clarinet and other percussion instruments. There are few, however, that exhibit unique sounds and though infrequently utilized within the jazz mainstream, represent a fresh and delightfully unusual approach to the music by its ingenious practitioners.

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Film Review

Rufus Harley: Pipes of Peace

by Victor L. Schermer
March 11, 2008

Rufus Harley Pipes of Peace Produced and directed by George Manney A Brotherly Love All-Star Tour Production 2007 Rufus Harley (1936-2006) was a supreme individualist. He started out as a very competent reed player--on soprano, alto, and tenor sax, as well as the flute. He studied with Dennis Sandole, a supreme teacher, who sired the Coltrane generation of Philadelphia-rooted musicians. Then the desire to be unique took hold of him. ...

783

Film Review

Rufus Harley: Pipes of Peace

by Samuel Chell
November 8, 2007

Rufus Harley Pipes Of Peace B.L.A.S.T. 2007

Not too many subjects would seem more assured of cinematic success than a profile of the world's first and only recognized jazz bagpiper--whose life story ended, moreover, with his appropriation of the title “International Ambassador of Freedom." On the other hand, when a title says it all ("Mouse plays flute to seduce elephant!"), the film director's task can be all the more daunting, since everything that follows ...

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Album Review

Rufus Harley: Re-Creation of the Gods

Read "Re-Creation of the Gods" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
July 8, 2006

The mere mention of jazz played on bagpipes is guaranteed to get a look of disbelief from most people, but not from listeners who have heard Rufus Harley, especially Re-Creation of the Gods, a 1972 disc that many consider his best. The Transparency label has reissued this record on CD with four extra tracks and pristine digital remastering of the sound.

Rufus Harley, one of the only bagpipe-playing jazz musicians in the history of jazz, is a virtuoso on the ...

179

Album Review

Rufus Harley: The Pied Piper Of Jazz

by Jim Santella
January 1, 2001

A 50-50 mixture of straight-ahead jazz and ethnic Scotch music makes for something rare and unusual. Rufus Harley was already clearly accomplished as a jazz tenor saxophonist in the early 1960s. Growing up in Philadelphia can do that to you. His tenor and flute work on The Pied Piper Of Jazz leave a favorable impression. The televised wake of President John F. Kennedy led to his learning the bagpipes. All those who watched were, no doubt, affected in some way. ...

Festival

World Premiere - Pipes of Peace, Rufus Harley Documentary

Source: All About Jazz
July 25, 2007

The World Premiere of the Rufus Harley documentary, “Pipes of Peace," will take place Thursday September 27, 2007 @ the Wildwood By The Sea Film Festival!

“Pipes of Peace" synopsis A intimate profile of the worlds first jazz bagpipe player, Philadelphia musician, Rufus Harley.

The film will explore his philosophy, struggle, success and his influential jazz bagpipe playing in his community, the nation and throughout the world. Rufus often handed out miniatures of the Liberty Bell and copies of the ...
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239

Obituary

Rufus Harley: Jazz Bagpiper

Source: All About Jazz
August 3, 2006

1936 - 2006 Last night WRTI-FM's Bob Perkins announced the death of an Philly original. Rufus Harley is credited as the first jazz musician to pick the Scottish bagpipes as his instrument. You might have heard his distinctive drone on CDs by The Roots (Do You Want More?!!!??!) and Laurie Anderson (Big Science). If you ever saw a picture of him, it would stick. He cut a distinctive swath. So did his music. I talked to his son, Messiah Harley, ...
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Performance / Tour