THE TERM “TEXAS TENOR” IS NOT USED MUCH ANYMORE, SIMPLY BECAUSE THERE AREN’T MANY OF THEM LEFT. THE TERM STARTED BACK IN THE 1940S WITH TENOR SAX PLAYERS LIKE ILLINOIS JACQUET, ARNETT COBB, BUDDY TATE, KING CURTIS AND DAVID ‘FATHEAD’ NEWMAN. WHAT SOUND IS EMITTED IS A BIG, BOLD, BREATHY AND SWAGGERINGLY BLUESY STYLE THAT SWINGS FROM THE GET GO.
ONE OF THE LAST OF THIS KIND IS TEXAS-BORN BILLY HARPER, WHO HAS STARTED A 3 DAY SAY AT SMOKE JAZZ CLUB WITH HIS TEAM OF JOSH EVANS/TP, BENITO GONZALEZ/P, LONNIE PLAXICO/B AND BILLY HART. CELEBRATING HIS 80TH BIRTHDAY AT THE VENUE, HARPER WILL MIX HIS TIMELESS TONE WITH MODERN MATERIAL, CELEBRATING THE INFLUENCE JOHN COLTRANE.
BEING A PART OF JAZZ HISTORY HIMSELF, HARPER WAS KIND ENOUGH TO CHAT WITH US FOR A BIT ABOUT HIS ART. (THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW WILL BE UP ANON)
YOU’RE STILL PLAYING AT 80 YEARS OLD. HOW DO YOU KEEP YOURSELF IN SHAPE PH YSICALLY AND MUSICALLY?
Physically, I was always doing a lot of running, and jogging every day. It keeps me young looking ! (chuckles) I feel good inside.
IS IT TOUGHER TO DO THINGS LIKE LONG TONES?
Oh, not at all. In fact, it’s easier to play now than before
THIS CONCERT SERIES IS A TRIBUTE TO JOHN COLTRANE. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST EXPOSURE TO HIM?
When I was young I was exposed to Sonny Rollins and Trane.
My uncle, who liked jazz, was into Kenny Dorham, Sonny Rollins and those guys, so very quickly I heard Miles and Trane together. Pretty soon I then heard Coltrane with his own group.
DID YOU SEE HIM PERFORM?
No, but there were a lot of musicians in Houston, where I was born, and I saw a lot of great musicians there. For me, it was like being in New York.
WHO IMPRESSED YOU THE MOST?
Probably a few names you may not know. One in particular was Richard Livey. He played the tenor sax. One of guys who impressed me the most was Don Wilkerson, who played with Ray Charles. There was also James Clay, from Dallas. He was probably my favorite.
WHEN YOU DO A TRIBUTE TO COLTRANE, ARE YOU FOCUSING ON A SPECIFIC ERA OF HIS?
I’m actually going to play my music in my own style, but I want people to get the feeling of his spirituality.
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“With Blakey, it…was about learning something about the groove. He was an automatic groover; as soon as he started playing, music was happening”
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ALTHOUGH YOU ARE FROM TEXAS, YOU HAVE A COLTRANE INFLUENCE IN YOUR PLAYING. HOW DO SHOW A RESPECT FOR AN ARTIST, AND NOT IMITATE SOMEONE AS INTIMIDATING AS COLTRANE?
(Chuckles) Once you start practicing a lot your own sound will start coming out. I know what exactly I’m supposed to do for myself without necessarily copying.
It will develop naturally, but you have to practice a LOT!
YOU SPENT SOME TIME WORKING WITH ART BLAKEY. WHAT WERE THE CIRCUMSTANCES JOINING THE BAND AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
With Blakey, it was a matter of learning something about things without him talking about it. It was about learning something about the groove. He was an automatic groover; as soon as he started playing, music was happening.
It was like going to school. He didn’t teach me by talking, but by playing in certain ways. He would play in a certain way, and I’d have to adjust, and we’d learn how to play together.
When I first got there, he said (In voice imitating Blakey) “We’re going to play this…” and he’d just start, and I have to be ready! He expected everyone that was going to play with him to be ready
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“Max was like a professor. Elvin was a lot freer in his style, a lot looser. I liked playing with both of them”
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HOW WOULD YOU COMPARE HIS STYLE OF LEADERSHIP TO ANOTHER DRUMMER YOU WORKED WITH, ELVIN JONES?
Blakey was concerned with order a lot more than Elvin. (laughs)
However, Elvin was not chaos, it was just that his thing came from being one of the “Jones Boys”, with Hank and Thad.
Elvin was a lot freer in his style, a lot looser. Not as heavy beat-oriented. I liked playing with both of them.
YOU ALSO WERE WITH MAX ROACH, WHO’S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN THOSE TWO. YOU WERE WITH HIM FOR A LONG TIME
Max was like a professor. (laughs)
His style seemed more strict. He could direct the band from the drums, because the drums were predominant. He played in such a style that made you adjust to him.
SO HERE ARE VERY STRONG DRUMMER PERSONALITIES. HOW DO THEY AFFECT THE WAY THAT YOU PLAY?
I think that they all liked the way I played because I’ve always been interested in rhythm.
When I was in college, I practiced a lot. When I got tired I would go to the drums and play, so I would know what they all were talking about.
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“I need to feel free, and sometimes that I’m flying, so this is what I came up with”
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YOU’VE ALSO BEEN IN A FEW BIG BANDS. DOES ONE PREPARE YOU FOR THE OTHER?
At North Texas State University, where I went to school, they had 4-5 big bands, so there was no way for me to miss that. I really wasn’t interested in big bands; I was more interested in small bands.
But, because of the setup of the school, I had to be in them, and I learned a lot about reading music and putting it together.
THAT MUST HAVE PREPARED YOU FOR YOUR WORK WITH GIL EVANS, AS YOU WERE ON A COUPLE OF HIS MOST IMPORTANT ALBUMS
It was great being with Gil.
Gil had a large group, but the styling gave it a small group feeling.
It wasn’t like the traditional style of big bands, you felt like you were in a small group.
The music wasn’t constraining at all. He did have a specific direction, and all of the musicians had to know where he was going.
Sometimes Gil would be in front of the band with the piano, and he’d hold up a big sign to tell everyone where go. It might say “#2” so everyone knew what to do by looking at the sign. (laughs)
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“(Gil Evans) wasn’t like the traditional style of big bands, you felt like you were in a small group”
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HOW DID THAT COMPARE WITH THE MEL LEWIS/MEL JONES ORCHESTRA?
That was more traditional, and more related to the earlier big bands.
Thad was more, not necessarily strict, but a bit more arranged, as he came from that style
YOU WERE IN A PRETTY FORMIDABLE SAX SECTION WITH THAT BAND, WITH EDDIE DANIELS, JEROME RICHARDSON, JOE FARRELL, RICHIE KAMUCA AND YOURSELF!
Yeah! A lot of the players in the band became leaders themselves.
But playing together was a big help, because I was the younger guy at the time
DID YOU EVER FEEL YOU HAD A GIG OR RECORDING THAT WAS A “BAPTISM BY FIRE” WHERE YOU DIDN”TKNOW IF YOU COULD CUT IT?
Working with both Blakey and Max was a baptism for me.
They were real heavy players.
WAS THERE ANY KEY ADVICE THAT ANY MUSICIAN GAVE YOU?
Playing with Max gave me the understanding of going straight ahead, no matter what happens out there in the world with other music, and people doing other things and go into a different direction. He’d say, “Just stay in line and keep going”.
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“Playing with Max gave me the understanding of going straight ahead, no matter what happens out there in the world with other music, and people doing other things and go into a different direction. He’d say, ‘Just stay in line and keep going’”
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I READ SOMEWHERE THAT YOU DID SOME RECORDINGS WITH LOUIS ARMSTRONG. WERE YOU IN THE STUDIO?
( chuckles) That was a long time ago!
I was with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band, and a lot of the guys were hired to play behind Louis Armstrong for something. He was in the studio
He was old at the time., but he had a real young feeling. He was old, but he sure didn’t play like that! He was an “up” kind of person, so the music felt nice
SPEAKING OF TRUMPET PLAYERS, YOU HAD A LARGE SPEAKING ROLE IN THE LEE MORGAN DOCUMENTARY (I CALL HIM MORGAN). WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HIM AND THAT FILM, IN RETROSPECT.
They movie they did was kind of close to both the living and music style that was happening at the time.
I was so happy to be playing with someone like Lee Morgan. He helped and inspired me quite a bit because he was a real character, and he played!
He started young also, so it was a gas.
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“(Louis Armstrong) was old at the time., but he had a real young feeling. He was old, but he sure didn’t play like that! He was an “up” kind of person, so the music felt nice”
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DID YOU TWO EVER SHARE “ART BLAKEY WAR STORIES”?
Every now and then Lee would throw out little gems about what he did with Blakey, and I’d say, “That’s ***what we did, tool”. Blakey was an institution.
YOU’VE ALSO RECORDED QUITE A BIT WITH PIANIST RANDY WESTON. HOW DID YOU GUYS MEET, AND HOW DID YOUR DUO ALBUM COME TOGETHE?
Randy heard me playing with Max Roach, he gave me a call and we rehearsed and were ready to go.
AFTER BEING IN A BIG BAND, AND THEN SMALL GROUPS LIKE THE COOKERS, HOW DO YOU ADAPT WITH A DUET, AS WITH RANDY WESTON OR CHARLES TOLLIVER?
It’s an interesting point of view.
If we’re just doing a duo, it’s like I’m playing my stuff and complementing what the other player does. Duos have a different approach, with a different feeling.
WHO IS THE MOST “MUSICAL” MUSICIAN YOU’VE EVER PLAYED WITH?
That’s hard to say, because each of the musicians that I’ve played with are VERY musical.
For example, Max is very musical, but very business-like.
Blakey was very musical, but was more raw, pushing in his style.
WITH A BAND LIKE THE COOKERS, HOW DO FIVE GUYS THAT ARE LEADERS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT NOT GET INTO EACH OTHER’S WAY?
It’s a matter of respect; everyone respects the other guy.
When we play together, we think, “it’s time for this person to take over for now”, and then he hands it off to someone else. It’s like playing football
IS THERE ANY RELGIOUS OR PHILOSOPHIC BOOK YOU’VE READ THAT HAS INFLUENCED WHO YOU ARE?
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“When we play together, we think, “it’s time for this person to take over for now”, and then he hands it off to someone else. It’s like playing football”
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I think that there’s a natural inner spiritual thing that guides me.
I came up in the church. Grandfather and grandmother were ministers, and I was always there.
There was a feeling from a lot of the sessions at church that came through and got to me, especially from the singers and musicians in the choir.
When I started out, I wanted to be a singer. I was always singing in church.
I was certainly impressed by Billy Eckstine, and you can’t miss Nat “King” Cole. I didn’t sound like them, but I liked them.
ARE THERE ANY BOOKS THAT YOU’VE READ YOU WISH EVERYONE WOULD READ?
There are a set of books called The Sufi Message. That would be something for people to check out. There are different focuses in each book, and it gives us something to deal with.
I initially got into it because I was involved with some musicians who were interested in Sufi-ism. So, I started reading things by Hazrat Inayat Khan, and I got more into it .
WHAT DO YOU LISTEN FOR WHEN YOU HEAR A SAXIST PLAY, AND DO YOU HAVE A PET PEEVE WITH SAX PLAYERS?
I’m listening for some kind of singing style.
Even from the horns, I’m expecting something to sing, I think it connects the player to the music a lot easier.
Sometimes playing the horn can be mechanical, and that’s not what I’m listening for.
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“Even from the horns, I’m expecting something to sing, I think it connects the player to the music a lot easier”
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WHAT MUSICIAN, LIVING OR DEAD, WOULD YOU PAY $1000 TO SEE PERFORM?
That’s a heavy one. I’d pay that much to hear Max Roach again.
His playing was so instructional; you can hear so much in it. It’s the form that he’s playing; he’s always thinking of different ideas when he’s playing
IS THERE ANYONE IN WORLD HISTORY THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SIT DOWN FOR AN EVENING AND PICK HIS OR HER BRAIN?
He’s not the only one, but I would like to ask a few questions to Dexter Gordon.
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“I have the most joy playing with the guys that I choose, who I know are going in my direction”
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WHAT GIVES YOU THE MOST JOY?
It’s when I’m playing with my own group.
I’ve played with different people at different times, but I still love my group. I have the most joy playing with the guys that I choose, who I know are going in my direction.
DO YOU STILL WEAR YOUR CAPE?
(chuckles) I call it a “Cikela”. It’s something that I invented. I need to feel free, and sometimes that I’m flying, so this is what I came up with
WHAT FUTURE GOALS DO YOU HAVE?
I have heard other players who have lived long and keep creating. That’s what I want to do with my horn. I want to keep going forward.
IT’S IMPRESSIVE TO SEE GUYS IN THEIR 80s AND 90s KEEP PLAYING, LIKE JIMMY COBB, CHICO HAMILTON, CHARLES LLOYD AND YOURSELF
It has to do with the spirit of the music. It keeps you young.
I also take care of myself. I used to run and jog every morning. I do a lot of stretching, calisthenics and so forth.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE PEOPLE TO SAY AT YOUR FUNERAL SERVICE?
“Here lays a man who carried the music further, and made us all aware of its importance”
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“I have heard other players who have lived long and keep creating. That’s what I want to do with my horn. I want to keep going forward”
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IT IS A HARD TIGHTROPE TO WALK AS A MUSICIAN, SHOWING INSPIRATION FROM AN ARTIST WITHOUT LOSING ONE’S OWN IDENTITY. THROUGHOUT HIS LONG CAREER, BILLY HARPER HAS STRADDLED THAT FENCE. CHECK HIM OUT THIS WEEKEND AND SEE WHAT INSPIRATION CAN SOUND LIKE