JAZZ CITY: THE PHILADELPHIA JAZZ LEGACY

There are four major components that gave Philadelphia Jazz its unique sound:

1.       The influence of structured chord changes from the symphony;

2.       The polyrhythmic improvisation interjected by the gospel influence;

3.       The 12 bar syncopated refrain of the blues; and

4.       The high level of technique introduced from the popular European marching band music, along with the 3/4 rhythm of the Waltz.

Thus, Philadelphia's Sophisticated Jazz was born. Many musicians playing this sound traveled the nation and the world performing and, in the wee hours of the morning, they congregated in the Black clubs of America and in European cafes and bistros, where they established the legacy of Philadelphia as the Jazz City.

During the Depression, many African-American families fled the rural South looking for work. Their migration began in Georgia, gathering additional family members, as they ascended through South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. Noted Philadelphians who had the greatest impact on the jazz scene of today, were either born in or had relatives from areas in the Southern District. As they trekked North to New York, Philadelphia, a thriving metropolis, became an attractive alternative. This city was an economic stronghold with a multitude of jobs. Also, it was one of the most populated cultural melting pots of the era. Blacks in Philadelphia held better positions and were better educated than anywhere else in the United States. Their lifestyle and earning potential paralleled White society of the time. This was, in part, due to the longstanding moral influence of the Quakers in this area, during the pre-Reconstruction era.

As Black Americans traveled to Philadelphia, the Blues traveled with them. When migrants arrived in Philly, they found many classically trained musicians, who played symphonic music and the popular European music of the time. It was this atypical blend of the European influence on the Blues, along with Philadelphia's popular gospel sound, that created a unique form of Jazz indigenous to Philly. Philadelphia Jazz was sophisticated. The music reflected an extremely literate, very conservative Black middle and upper class population. Since there were few commercial clubs for African-Americans in the Philadelphia, in the 1920's and 1930's, the music was played in the privately owned facilities of social and fraternal organizations like the Elks and at cotillions of social clubs like Jack & Jill.

New Orleans is recognized as a regional center of Jazz and known to have fostered Dixieland. Kansas City is identified as the birthplace of KC Blues, and everyone is familiar with the Delta Blues of Mississippi. New York Jazz is HIP, Chicago Jazz is RAW, but Philadelphia is the only place where Jazz is sophisticated. Now is the time for Philadelphia to take its place among the jazz centers of the world to rightfully be called Jazz City.

Philadelphia's jazz legacy includes jazz giants Dizzy Gillespie, Mickey Roker, Heath Brothers, John Coltrane, Jimmy Oliver, C-Sharp, Cat Anderson, Lex Humphrey, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, Gerry Mulligan, Philly Joe Jones, Grover Washington, Jr., Shirley Scott, Rufus Harley, Trudy Pitts, Mr. C, Sun Ra, Odean Pope, Eddie Green, Christian McBride, Gerald Price, Joan Cartwright, Byard Lancaster and Monnette Sudler. Too often, they are thrown into a category that belies their endemic affiliation with this City. There is little documentation to support the postulation of Philadelphia's unique style of jazz; the tremendous influence of Philadelphian's on the international jazz scene; or the impact individual Philadelphia musicians have as innovators on the mindset of modern jazz practitioners.

The Jazz City Film Series covers the Philadelphia jazz vista beginning with Bebop in the 1940's through the music of the present Young Lions. The breakdown of each component is as follows:

§      Part One: Bebop - 1940's

§      Part Two: Hard Bop - 1950's

§      Part Three: Jazz Fusion - 1960's

§      Part Four: Avant Garde - 1970/80's

§      Part Five: The Ladies of Jazz - (1940-1990)

§      Part Six: The Young Lions -1990's

Philadelphia is on the verge of a cultural and economic renaissance. As we look to the future of this great City, Jazz City: The Philadelphia Jazz Legacy will place Philadelphia in its proper historical perspective as parent of sophisticated jazz and rightful owner of the title JAZZ CITY.

Wayne D. Nance

A graduate of Spring Garden College, Wayne D. Nance has with a background in electronic technology. Nance’s love affair with high-tech equipment went hand-in-hand with his desire to do more than installation and repair.

At Temple University, Nance moved to the next level, majoring in Radio, TV and Film Production. He developed production and announcing skills at WRTI - FM 90.1, Temple's radio station.

Wayne became an integral part of this nationally known jazz station, while teaching video production, in his spare moments. One thing led into another and, in 1979, Nance began taping live jazz performances, turning them into half-hour cable ready segments. The initial productions, entitled "JAZZ CITY", aired on Cable TV in New York City, because cable TV was not available in Philadelphia, at that time.

Now, a decade later, Nance's "JAZZ CITY" can be seen on cable and broadcast TV in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and surrounding counties in Pennsylvania.

Musicians included in the series are:

§            Shirley Scott (Interview and Performance)

§            E. Diane Lyle Smith (Interview and Performance)

§            Monnette Sudler (Interview and Performance)

§            Carol Harris (Interview and Performance)

§            Jimmy Oliver (Interview and Performance)

§            Khan Jamal (Interview and Performance)

§            Trudy Pitts

§            Bernard Samuel

§            Evelyn Simms

§            Barbara Walker


Rufus Harley, Jr. (b. near Raleigh, North Carolina, May 20, 1936; d. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 31, 2006) was an American jazz musician of mixed Cherokee and African ancestry, known primarily as the first jazz musician to adopt the Scottish great Highland bagpipe as his primary instrument.

Although born near Raleigh, North Carolina, at an early age Harley moved with his mother to a poor neighborhood in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He began playing the C melody saxophone at age 12, and also played trumpet. At the age of 22, he began studying saxophone, flute, oboe, and clarinet with Dennis Sandole (1913-2000), an Italian American jazz guitarist who also taught several other Philadelphia jazz musicians.[1]

Harley became inspired to learn the bagpipe after seeing the Black Watch perform in John F. Kennedy's funeral procession in November 1963. Then a maintenance worker for the Philadelphia's housing authority, Harley began searching the city for a set of bagpipes. Failing to find one, he traveled to New York City where he found a set in a Jewish-operated pawn shop. He purchased the instrument for US$120, quickly adapting it to the idioms of jazz, blues, and funk.[2] On several occasions, when a neighbor called the police to complain about Harley's practicing in his apartment, he would quickly put away his bagpipes and feign ignorance, asking the officers, "Do I look like I'm Irish or Scottish to you?"[3] He eventually acquired a better set of bagpipes, which cost him a little over US$1,000.[4]

Harley made his bagpipe performance debut in 1964. From 1965 to 1970 he released four recordings as leader on the Atlantic label (all produced by Joel Dorn, an early supporter), also recording as a sideman with Herbie Mann, Sonny Stitt, and Sonny Rollins in the 1960s and 1970s. He later recorded with Laurie Anderson (appearing on her 1982 album Big Science) and The Roots (on their 1995 album Do You Want More?!!!??!), the latter coming about due to a 1994 appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show. In addition to bagpipes, on these albums he also occasionally plays tenor saxophone, flute, or electric soprano saxophone. 

Harley often wore Scottish garb, including a kilt, in conjunction with a Viking-style horned helmet. After seeing him perform on television, a Scottish family gave him his tartan, the McLeod tartan, which he wore for the rest of his life.[5] His bagpipe technique was somewhat unorthodox in that he placed the drones over his right shoulder rather than his left. He favored the key of B-flat minor.

Harley lived for much of his life in the Germantown neighborhood of Northwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and frequently gave presentations in Philadelphia-area public schools. During his frequent overseas performance tours, he carried and distributed miniature replicas of the Liberty Bell, the symbol of his hometown, as well as American flags and copies of the U.S. Constitution. He appeared on a number of television programs, including What's My Line?, To Tell the Truth (March 22, 1965 [6] and again c. 2000), I've Got a Secret (October 17, 1966),[7] and The Arsenio Hall Show. He also had a small role in Francis Ford Coppola's 1966 comedy film You're a Big Boy Now. In addition to his performing career, he worked for the Philadelphia Housing Authority for many years.

He died at Philadelphia's Albert Einstein Medical Center on July 31, 2006 of prostate cancer.[8] He is survived by his former wife Barbara Jean Jones, 16 children and 15 grandchildren. One of his sons, Messiah Patton Harley, also of Philadelphia, is a trumpeter who often performed with his father.


Carolyn McClendon, Philly Joe Jones and Trudy Pitts