Rufus Harley Bagpipes Of The World CD

The long overdue resurrection of interest in Rufus Harley's music began in earnest in 2006 with the Transparency reissue of his stunning Re-Creation of the Gods album, originally issued on his tiny Ankh label in 1973. Rhino's limited-edition Handmade division followed suit in 2007 with Courage: The Atlantic Recordings, a double-disc set that contained three full albums. Transparency upped the ante again in late 2009 with this triple-disc set of rare radio interviews, performances, and even performances by his son, the fine trumpeter America Patton Harley. It is the second in a trilogy of albums Harley himself gave to Transparency to release; the third is entitled Brotherly Love.

Harley, in addition to his considerable abilities as a composer and saxophonist, also carries the distinction of being jazz's first bagpiper. This set, filled with recordings of varying quality -- from good mono to excellent stereo -- is a hardcore fan's delight. Disc one contains a brief radio interview with WDAS, and a series of live quartet recordings where Harley plays baby soprano saxophone and is accompanied by a rhythm section led by pianist Georges Arvanitas. Interspersed between the quartet's tunes are untitled tracks where Harley is playing in the company of a corps of French bagpipers. There are also three jazz compositions where he is accompanied on pipes by a rhythm section, including a wonderfully weird and lyrical reading of "Moon River!" Disc two contains a nearly hour-long radio interview (his last) with Richard Segan on One World Radio in June of 2006, shortly before his death. The remainder of the disc features America Patton playing trumpet and fronting two different groups. He is accompanied on a reading of three John Coltrane compositions by pianist Andy LaVerne, bassist Rufus Reid, and drummer John Riley.

Disc three begins with a Patton composition entitled "Noah's Ark," a lovely modal ballad with Harold Mabern on piano, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Adam Nusbaum; they also play a fine rendition of Tadd Dameron's "Soultrane." The final -- and longest -- part of the third disc is a performance of Rufus and America Patton playing together with a group of unidentified Jamaican musicians. This is the real revelation in the set. We already knew Harley could play with jazz players and other pipers, but here he is with an electric reggae group, on a series of originals and jazz standards such as "A Child Is Born," "Someday My Prince Will Come," and "Stormy Weather," along with "Amazing Grace" and "Scotland the Brave." We get to hear father and son really getting down to business -- even if the rhythm section musicians are sloppy and trying their damndest to follow what's unfolding in the process. This disc goes furthest, on record anyway, toward capturing Harley's ideas of how sound and rhythm around the world are as interconnected as biological life forms. Again, the caveat must be stated that the sound quality here is not for audiophiles, but for real fans of Rufus Harley, this material is a treasure trove that is as essential as breathing. ~ Thom Jurek