Richard Harper
Quick Facts
Biography
Richard Harper (born 1949) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, trombone player, hornist, singer, arranger, and music educator.
Early life and education
Richard Harper was born in 1949 in Detroit, Michigan. He attended the Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in African and Asian History. He then earned a Masters in Music from the Manhattan School of Music, New York, and a Ph. D. from the Union Institute & University, Cincinnati, Ohio, in Ethnomusicology and Composition.
Career
Over the course of his career, Harper has worked with Makanda Ken McIntyre, James Jabbo Ware, Fred Ho, Bill Laswell, Archie Shepp, Jaki Byard, Miles Griffith, and with Anthony Braxton's Tricentric Orchestra, as well as with the vocal groups Four Tops and The Miracles.
In his academic career, he has received excellence in teaching awards from three different universities.
Harper was also the musical director for Off-Broadway and regional theaters and arranged for numerous dance, theater, and music productions. He initially taught in the American Music, Dance, and Theater Program at SUNY Old Westbury. He currently teaches at the New School and the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. Harper leads the vocal ensemble Jazz Voices as part of his teaching activities.
Discography
- 1976: Wildflowers - The New York Jazz Loft Sessions (Douglas) with Makanda Ken McIntyre, Andrei Strobert, Andy Vega
- 1976: Ken McIntyre: Introducing the Vibrations (SteepleChase Records)
- 1991: Material: The Third Power (Axiom)
- 2003: David Bindman: Adzenyah in There: A Tribute Concert (DVD, Wesleyan University)