Billy Harper Quintet / CA, USA / 02.06.1981 / FM Broadcast Edition

A must-have live recording for fans has arrived, featuring Billy Harper, one of the leading tenor saxophonists of the 1970s, performing at the famous San Francisco club “Keystone Corner” after the release of his album “The Believer.” This recording, unearthed from a broadcast source, boasts superb sound quality. While the album featured a one-horn quartet, this live performance features a quintet with the addition of trumpeter Chris Albert, resulting in a richer sound. The performance is even more powerful than “A Billy Harper Quintet,” a recording of his 1980 Jazz Jamboree performance, considered one of Harper’s rarest albums. His tenor saxophone playing, influenced by Coltrane and imbued with a deep Black spirituality, is truly breathtaking. The album concludes with Harper himself commenting, “Please listen to a traditional Japanese folk song, Soran Bushi. Soran Bushi, by B.H.,” before launching into “Soran Bushi.” Moreover, the performance becomes breathtaking from the middle onwards, and the live version truly has an extraordinary power that surpasses the studio recording. The Harper Quintet blows with all their heart and soul on these three lengthy pieces, and it’s superb. Live at Keystone Corner, San Francisco 02/06/1981 1. Croquet Ballet (17:03) 2. Is It Not True, Simply Because You Cannot Believe It (17:00) 3. Soran Bushi, B.H. (19:19) Billy Harper (ts) Chris Albert (tpt) Armen Donelian (p) Louis Spears (b) Malcolm Pinson (dr)