John Harley

John Harley

John Harley spent most of his career as a preeminent sideman playing trumpet for such Caribbean Icons as the Mighty Sparrow, Calypso King of The World; Arrow, (of dance floor hit,  Hot, Hot, Hot); Byron Lee & The Dragonaires; Becket; Calypso Rose; Reggae artist Sister Carol and Rebels Band to name a few.  John also played in concerts and festivals world-wide, such as Reggae Sun Splash in Jamaica and Festival de Caribe in Cartagena, Colombia.

Further, John spent four years in Jamaica.  While in Jamaica, he worked with some of the best Jamaican musicians as a member (trumpeter) of the Peter Ashbourne orchestra, which backed such artists as the legendary Bunny Wailer, Shabba Ranks and JC Lodge.  He also performed with the Peter Ashbourne orchestra on the Jamaican music awards show in the 1990s.

In addition, John worked as a drummer in the cabaret, gospel and jazz idioms.  He performed most notably with American jazz pianist, Doug Carn.

In 2003, John started his own label, Market Square Entertainment, LLC (MSE) and released his first project, Rock City Orchestra’s Odyssey CD which he wrote and produced.  Other projects followed, including Sounds of D.C. (SDC) and “Don’t Worry” by Cito on the MSE label.  He also wrote and produced “Sweet Suzie” for Reggae artist Monty Montgomery’s latest release “Yeah Mon” on the Fusion Label.

John has now stepped to the forefront as a solo artist with his latest single “Beyond My Wildest Dream”, which features his Caribbean roots in a jazz setting.  The CD, Beyond My Wildest Dream is scheduled for release in the spring of 2015.

John studied trumpet at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music.  He also studied music education and percussion at Howard University.