HARLEY WHITE JR: Musician | Composer| Bandleader

 

Pulitzer Prize-nominated musician and composer Harley White Jr.

has been living life out loud, one note at a time, since the moment he

picked up his first instrument – a violin –  at the daybreak of his youth.

 

Although the self-described “Bluesician” is best known as a virtuoso

bassist, White, leader of the Harley White Jr. Orchestra, always had an

eye for sounds –  and the mellifluous colors that span across each measure.

 

The Northern California-based instrumentalist’s talents recently earned him a 2015 Pulitzer Prize nomination as musical director of Mark Stein’s “Direct From Death Row, The Scottsboro Boys: An Evening of Vaudeville and Sorrow.”

 

That talent and musical dedication is now on display for the masses, as White and his band embark on their latest tour, highlighting the musical genius of past jazz giants like Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Louie Armstrong while constantly breaking artistic ground and traveling new frontiers with funk, Latin, cabaret and beyond.

 

“We’re not just a band, we’re a repertory company,” said White, describing his nine-member orchestra.

 

“We do historical pieces, and original pieces that I do. There was a long time when we only did music that was before the 1950s. Now with the passing of Prince, we have a book of music that’s funk oriented and we’re developing that. You have to be up on popular styles and also the past.”

 

“We play traditional music – but we don’t play it traditionally,” White emphasized. “We can’t do it better than Count Basie did it back then, we must do something new that reflects what we’re doing now.”

 

White’s recent Pulitzer nomination nod for his work on Direct From Death Row: The Scottsboro Boys is rooted in his early upbringing in the arts and theater, due to his mother’s work as a theater activist and gospel singer.

 

“Few kids can say they saw James Earl Jones do Fences at The Curran theater. I did and I was there, it was awesome,” White smiled. “My mom always had us in the mix with theater.”

 

White composed the music for Scottsboro Boys on piano, and also performed it live during its early run at Sacramento’s River Stage. The play later found a new life at Los Angeles’ Fountain Theatre, before moving on to massive acclaim at Chicago’s Raven Theatre and locations nationwide.

 

“(In Chicago) it just went crazy and that’s how we got the Pulitzer nomination,” said White. “I am not surprised that it resonated so much in Chicago because there is so much injustice in Chicago.”

 

White’s musical education also started during his formative years, having a father recognized in jazz circles as a bass player in his own right. White picked up violin in second grade, eventually moving onto trumpet and tuba.

 

At age 14 White picked up bass, and started playing local gigs in Northern California not long after that. By the early 1990s White’s funk-worldbeat band Papa’s Culture landed a record deal with Electra, leading to the band’s eponymous album.

 

“Papa’s Culture is definitely a producer’s record,” explained White. “We have a lot of sound bites, sitars and glockenspiels. We went crazy with all of the sonic things you can do. And a lot of people picked up on that.”

 

The success of the Papa’s Culture was followed by numerous opportunities for White, including numerous stints recording with hip-hop legends Blackalicious (Nia/Blazing Arrows 1998,2012), in addition to working with a wide variety of artists and writers in the industry including filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles (Ghetto Gothic, 1995), writer and former New Jersey poet laureate Amiri Baraka and R&B sensation Raphael Saadiq.

 

White has also worked with acts like Faith Evans, Ben Harper, Al Young, Will Alexander, Trio Casindio (Jose Montoya), Daisy Spot and Dr. Echo.

 

Plus, White has made a name for himself as a music teacher in Sacramento, teaching young people the fundamentals and history of jazz. He spearheaded Joe’s Style Shop” during the early 2000s – a venue that hosted workshops, exhibits and other artistic endeavors.

 

 In the meantime, in addition to touring, White recently completed music to accompany a documentary on the history of Sacramento’s Japantown. “The orchestra will always be here to entertain and do some dance stuff, but we have a bigger mission to get people to understand ‘how did we get here?’ I think the most important thing is not understanding the past not as some kind of sentimental relic. It’s a clue to how we got here in this moment – and if we’re really paying attention how we can make this moment better.”

 

And making the moment better, said White, always includes good music as part of the equation.

 

“A philosopher once said that ‘music and food are the two things that make people stop what they’re doing and enjoy.’ I find that to be true. People will stop what the hell they are doing if it’s really going down,” remarked White.

 

“It’s really just that. It’s not really deep. Just bring people joy, and I think people need it.”

 

The Harley White Jr. Orchestra is Harley White (bass), Isaac Negrete (alto sax), Reagen Branch (tenor sax),Justin Au (trumpet), Brandon Au (trombone), Clark Goodloe (piano) and Erinn Anova (arranger, resident diva).

 

 SELECTED WORKS AND CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

 

 Performing Groups

* 1991- 1996 "Papa's Culture" (Funk/Pop/World Beat)

* 1995 to 2004 "Original Heads"(Funk/Jazz/Hip Hop)

* 2005 to present "Harley White Jr. Orchestra" (Swing/Blues) 

 

Albums

* 1993 Papa's Culture 'Papa's Culture but...' (Elektra Records)

* 1995 Melvin Van Peebles 'Ghetto Gothic' (Capitol Records)

* 1998 Cake "Prolonging the Magic " (Volcano Records)

* 1998 Blackalicious 'Nia ' (Quannum Records)

* 2002 Blackalicious 'Blazing Arrows' (MCA/Universal)

* 2002 Ben Harper/Blackalicious 'Blazing Arrows' (MCA/Universal)

* 2004 Jose Montoya/Casindio "Locura Cura" (Royal Chicano Air Force)

* 2005 Faith Evans ' The First Lady' (Capitol)

 

Theatrical

* 1995 Uncle Bend's: An American Negro Narrative, Sacramento Theatre Company (actor, performer)

* 1999 'Live from Death Row: The Scottsboro Boys' by Mark Stein, Sacramento River Stage. (Composer, performer)

* 2009-present Sizzling Sirens Burlesque Experience

*2012 For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf directed by Melinda Wilson Sacramento State

 

Poetry: Amiri Baraka, Al Young, Will Alexander, Justin Desmangles and Khiry Malik

 

Film/TV

“Faith Ringgold Exhibit,” Music: Selected songs, Obay Films, DeYoung Museum 2023

“Playing with Fire - Carlos Almeraz” – Selected songs, Netflix documentary 2020

"Stolen Moments" – Selected songs, NK Media Films, 2013

“Oakland B Mine” – Selected songs, Runaway Filmworx 2008

“Brown Sugar” – Music: "It's Going Down,” Universal Pictures 2002

“Girlfriends” – Music: "Beautiful Dream,” UPN Television Show 2001

 

Teaching

Sacramento Waldorf High School

Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Comm. Artist in residence Thomas Jefferson Elementary

The "Housecats" and "Take 5" youth jazz ensembles

Edward Kimble Elementary School

Skip's Music "Stairway to Stardom" 

Guitar Workshop (Sacramento Ca)

Pacific Housing Music Works

TEDx Sacramento lecture guest 2012

 

 Awards

2016 Pulitzer Prize Nominee for The Scottsboro Boys with Mark Stein

* Platinum Record for Faith Evans' The First Lady' as songwriter and producer

* 'Sammie' awards (Sacramento News and Review Award) for groups Papa's Culture, Original Heads, Dutch Falconi Orchestra, Daisy Spot, the Housekats,Critical Achievement and Best Bassist.

* Direct from Death Row: The Scottsboro Boys (winner of Best Ensemble, L.A. Weekly Award, and Best Ensemble, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award). 

* Rolling Stone Magazine "Best New Faces" 1993

*2010 and 2012 Sacramento News and Review winner "Outstanding Jazz Musician