OT Rufus Harley

glauber · Post by **glauber** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 11:22 am

I found a CD in Amazon.com which has sound samples in Windoze and Realbadaudio formats: [Click]

Obviously the guy doesn't have correct technique. Just someone who picked up a GHP set in a pawn shop and taught himself to play. But if nothing else, it's a quirky tribute to the instrument, that after being neglected for a long time, it surfaces in such unexpected places.

One wonders what he could have done with a set of UPs.

I don't actually like the tracks i heard, but still, more power to him.

brianc · Post by **brianc** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 11:25 am

The POINT is - I doubt very seriously that Rufus gives a flip about whether or not he's got "street cred" with the "GHB community" (whatever that is).

He's doing what he enjoys - that much is obvious. I'm sure that a certain segment of classical pianists were aghast when Jerry Lee Lewis began playing his music on the 88's - - even, on some occasions, with the cheeks of his arse. Do you suppose that Lewis cared what they thought?

Same thing applies here. Don't like it? Don't listen to it.

brianc · Post by **brianc** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 11:28 am

Thanks for the link, Glauber.

I listened to "Kerry Dancers" - hey, it isn't for everyone, but give the guy some credit - how many GH pipers can play staccato like that?

glauber · Post by **glauber** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 11:32 am

brianc wrote:Thanks for the link, Glauber.

I listened to "Kerry Dancers" - hey, it isn't for everyone, but give the guy some credit - how many GH pipers can play staccato like that?

I was thinking the same thing. How the heck he does that?

brianc · Post by **brianc** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 11:38 am

Glauber, - Probably a fairly soft reed, I'd think. It seems to be fairly quiet in tone compared to a couple of the other tracks.

benwalker · Post by **benwalker** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 3:40 pm

The Man Himself

glauber · Post by **glauber** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 3:50 pm

A quote to go with the pictures:

Rufus Harley wrote:The drone uses the ancient vibrations of the universe. Bagpipes represent the ultimate sound of philosophy because it sustains. It brings the yin and the yang together, the male and female. The human anatomy is the original instrument. When people first came to America, they brought their instruments with them. Their bodies. Now it’s the time for people to understand that we got to get our asses in tune.

mukade · Post by **mukade** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 12:14 am

brianc wrote:

The POINT is - I doubt very seriously that Rufus gives a flip about whether or not he's got "street cred" with the "GHB community" (whatever that is).

The GHB community? street cred ?

If a gang of them turned up my my street, I'd be the first one out wth the rotten cabbages.

Back to Rufus. Is it me, or is Rufus out of tune with all of his backing tracks?

Mukade

AaronMalcomb · Post by **AaronMalcomb** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 12:42 am

brianc wrote:[Why? Because he doesn't play dress-up and march in a straight line with the rest of the "GHB community?

Doesn't play dress up?

OK, I guess you posted that before Ben posted those additional pics. I'll let you off easy on that one.

I'm not saying having no street cred among GHB players is good or bad. It just seemed relevant because the individual in question plays the GHB. And I think I clarified my perspective well enough.

As far as GHB "street cred"... yeah it's pretty laughable. But we definitely have more street cred than the recorder community.

Cheers,
Aaron

mukade · Post by **mukade** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 12:44 am

brianc wrote:Thanks for the link, Glauber.

I listened to "Kerry Dancers" - hey, it isn't for everyone, but give the guy some credit - how many GH pipers can play staccato like that?

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but on that track he is playing saxophone, not GHB.

Mukade

benwalker · Post by **benwalker** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 1:21 am

He is playing Sax on Kerry Dancers clip.
A friend of mine has a RH record he played me a bit down the phone.
It was a version of the tune Windy on GHB with R and B backing. It was certainly "different".

benwalker · Post by **benwalker** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 2:22 am

The Differernt styles were too great an obsticle for a "Harmonius" duet

Douglas · Post by **Douglas** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:09 am

It sure looks awkward (and weird) to me to see someone playing the GHB's on the right hand side. I am fine with someone taking a non traditional approach, but put them on the left side please.

I used to play the GHB's in a rock band and I sure would get a reaction. Blacks were often more taken with the instrument. I have played the pipes a few time marching through crowds of moshers who would body slam me as I played. I told them it was fine with me as long as they didn't slam into my chanter.

pgf102 · Post by **pgf102** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:52 am

I was fortunate to meet Rufus Harley last year in Philadelphia (my brother is involeved in the jazz scene there and arranged the introduction). Maybe a little eccentric but one of the nicest hospitable people I've ever met. His apartment, although a little run down, is a shrine to the US and the constitution and photographs everywhere of his carreer and some really big names he's played with. His philosophical ideas that he presented went over my head at the time but actually made sense to me later as I thought about them.
He wanted to "jam" so we went into his bedroom where he had a large amplifier stack and plugged in a Jamey Abersol backing track CD, opened all the windows (he said the neighborhood should hear this) and we wailed (I had my GHB's). God was that fun (and loud)! He told me to forget what I learned on the pipes and just play. We played Coltrane, Rollins and even Mancini. He showed me some unusual cross fingerings (they worked better on his chanter than mine). It was an unforgettable experience and I really enjoyed it. By the way, he was getting ready to leave for Scotland the next week to perform at the paid request of the College of Piping at a special outing they were having.
Thanks for listening -
Paul Fehrenbach

brianc · Post by **brianc** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 10:48 am

I see in the pic that Ben posted above that Rufus is wearing the traditional "bathrobe with Reebok trainers". Wouldn't want someone from the "community" challenging his 'street cred' now, would he?