The Gentle Harm of the Bourgeoisie is a live solo trombone album by Paul Rutherford, his first release under his own name.

Upon its release, the album, which features extensive use of extended techniques such as multiphonics, proved to be influential within the world of improvisers.

[6] In a review for AllMusic, François Couture noted that Rutherford "never falls into the pit of extended techniques demonstration," and wrote: "The trombonist follows his own agenda, constantly choosing the direction the listener didn't think of, slipping from one approach to the next, adding colors and even a bit of humor... For free improv fans, this one is a must-have; for trombonists, it ranks as a classic.

"[1] The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings awarded the album a full 4 stars, calling the music "wryly subversive," and stating: "Rutherford's grasp of multiphonics is already assured; additional sounds and overtones come from mutes, microphone knocks and from spittle in the horn.

"[8] The Chicago Reader's Bill Meyer noted that Rutherford "augmented his adroit manipulation of slide and mute with multiphonics, simultaneously singing through and playing the horn to get effects ranging from high-pitched quivers to low, guttural blasts," resulting in a recording on which "he sounds truly liberated, his trombone speaking in hitherto unknown tongues.