Billy Harper - Destiny Is Yours (SteepleChase, 1990)

This post is by Dan

Billy Harper (ts); Eddie Henderson (tr); Francesca Tanksley (p); Clarence Seay (b); Newman Baker (d)

Recorded December, 1989

It's hard to believe that Billy Harper will turn 80 years old in January. 2023 will also mark his 50th year as a recording artist. Those landmarks should be celebrated with tribute concerts and reissue programs, but more than likely they will pass unnoticed by the jazz business. Jazz fans in the know, however, should reflect on his many accomplishments.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Harper pursued a form of jazz that can easily be called spiritual, much as John Coltrane's music pursued a spiritual quest. Harper's quintet format is conventional but the compositions and playing are not. Both Coltrane and Harper reach for higher meaning in their art. 

In 1975, Harper's album Black Saint launched the Italian record label of the same name. He also recorded for Strata East, MPS, Black and Blue, Marge, and Denon. SteepleChase gave Harper greater exposure with the opportunity to record multiple albums. Destiny Is Yours is an excellent introduction to his strongest and most durable quintet. SteepleChase's three volumes of live performances from 1991 further document the band (Live on Tour in the Far East Vols 1,2,3).

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A key player in the quintet is pianist Francesca Tanksley, who was born in Italy, raised in Germany, studied in Boston, worked in New York City where she joined Harper's quintet, and now teaches music at Bard College in New York State. Tanksley plays with seasoned authority on every track, soloing extensively and comping behind the fiery front line. To my knowledge, she has recorded only one album as a leader (Journey, DreamCaller, 2002).

The rest of the quintet is equally well-suited to the music. Eddie Henderson is the best trumpet player Harper has worked with, in my opinion. The rhythm section is cohesive and works together to create some of the most compelling music I've ever heard. 

I recommend the CD version of Destiny Is Yours over the LP because of the two additional tracks: "Dance in the Question" (composed by Tanksley) and "My Funny Valentine." Adding these cuts to the CD makes it more representative of the live performances, which normally include a ballad feature for Harper.

Harper's quintet also delivers a strong visual impact. The leader typically dresses imposingly in black leather and occasionally makes announcements, and even sings, in his deep voice. The band can be seen on the DVD Billy Harper in Concert: Live from Poland (Arkadia, 2004). Polish trumpeter Piotr Wojtasik is featured along with a full choir in a stunning video performance that makes the music seem larger than life, which it is.

Three albums recorded in the 1990s continue the excellent sequence that begins with Destiny Is Yours:

Somalia (Evidence 1995)

If Our Hearts Could Only See (DIW, 1997)

Soul of an Angel (Metropolitan, 1999)

These are all highly recommended.