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Dir. George Manney
Rating: 7.0 | 0 User Reviews | Send to Friend
Eccentric and outspoken, with a penchant for the unusual, Rufus Harley is credited as the world’s first jazz bagpipe player. Donned in a kilt and cap made out of the American flag and with a set of bagpipes stitched with the flag of every nation in the world, Harley enjoyed a lengthy career in which he recorded four albums for Atlantic Records and collaborated with the likes of Laurie Anderson and The Roots. As the self-professed “International Ambassador of Freedom," Harley, who died in 2006 in Philadelphia from prostate cancer, likened himself a musical philosopher with his message of hope, love and unity rooted in the ideals of The City of Brotherly Love. Director George Manney’s documentary is an intimate overview of the man and his music, combining footage from Harley’s performances; interviews with family, friends and colleagues; and a rare one-on one-interview with Harley himself. With a showstopper like Harley as the subject, Manney has to do little more than press play, let the camera roll and leave it to Harley and the friends who knew him best tell his story. After all, he was a black man who turned the Scottish bagpipes into a jazz instrument and gracefully took the flak from the rest of the bagpipe community for doing so. A more domineering film would have detracted from Harley’s unconventionality and cheapened the film’s goal to cement the musician’s legacy. Manney's film does, however, make clear -- whether you see his work as gimmick or greatness -- three things are certain of Harley: he loved America, he loved his bagpipes and he loved all that jazz.
The disc includes a slideshow of Rufus Harley’s life and music.
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