Billy Harper (born January 17, 1943 in Houston, Texas) is a Jazz saxophonist, "one of a generation of Coltrane-influenced tenor saxophonists" with a distinctively stern, hard-as-nails sound on his instrument.[1]
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In 1965 Harper earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of North Texas.[2]
Harper has played with some of jazz's greatest drummers; he served with Art Blakey's Messengers for two years (1968–1970); he played very briefly with Elvin Jones (1970), he played with the Thad Jones/ Mel Lewis Orchestra in the 1970s, and was a member of Max Roach's band in the late '70s.[3] He has also been a frequent member of Randy Weston's ensembles. He performed on Gil Evans' 1973 album Svengali, and contributed two of the most-performed tunes in the band's repertoire: "Priestess" and "Thoroughbred".
His 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".[4] The Italian jazz label Black Saint was launched with Harper's 1975 album Black Saint. His later releases have mostly been on SteepleChase and Evidence.
Discography[]
As leader[]
- 1973: Capra Black (Strata East)
- 1975: Black Saint (Black Saint)
- 1977: Soran-Bushi, B.H. (Denon)
- 1979: Trying to Make Heaven My Home (MPS Records)
- 1979: Billy Harper Quintet in Europe (Soul Note)
- 1979: The Awakening (Marge Records)
- 1980: The Believer (Baystate)
- 1989: Destiny Is Yours
- 1993: Somalia
- 1998: If Our Hearts Could Only See (DIW Records)
- 2000: Soul of an Angel
- 2009: Blueprints of Jazz, Vol. 2
As sideman[]
With Charles Earland
- Intensity (Prestige, 1972)
- Charles III (Prestige, 1973)
With Gil Evans
- Blues in Orbit (Enja, 1970)
- Where Flamingos Fly (Artists House, 1971)
- Svengali (Atlantic, 1973)
With Bobbi Humphrey
- Flute In (Blue Note, 1971)
With Lee Morgan
- The Last Session (Blue Note, 1972)
With Max Roach
- Lift Every Voice and Sing (Atlantic, 1971)
- The Loadstar (Horo, 1977)
With McCoy Tyner
- Journey (Birdology, 1993)
With Randy Weston
- Tanjah (Polydor, 1973)
- Carnival (Freedom, 1974)
References[]
- ↑ allmusic ((( Billy Harper > Biography )))
- ↑ Office of Registrar & Alumni Records, University of North Texas, Denton
- ↑ allmusic ((( Billy Harper > Biography )))
- ↑ allmusic ((( Capra Black > Overview )))
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