WINARD HARPER & JELI POSSE

Jazz Drummer, Band Leader, Composer, Educator, dedicated to bringing Jazz to where it is needed

“This music is powerful, it can do a lot of good for people. If they’d spend some time each day listening to it, we would see many changes in the world.”

WINARD HARPER BIO

Winard Harper was born in Baltimore in 1962, a child prodigy. Although his parents were not musicians they were full of encouragement as they noticed him beating on cans when he was three or four years old. At five years old Winard would sometimes sit in and play his drums in older brother Danny’s rock n roll band after the family moved to Washington D.C. When Winards younger brother Philip took to playing the trumpet, the two of them would busk in the streets of George Town, jam with a few bands, and help out with Danny’s various bands. Listening to Clifford Brown and Max Roach playing “Jordu” had fascinated Winard so greatly it showed him his direction ~ jazz. Subsequently, his father took him to all the local jazz scenes to listen and meet the best in the world of jazz. This is how Winard met up with pianist Reuben Brown, who brought into play a great deal of influence on Winard, since the two worked together for more than a year in a trio with Steve Novel. Also by 1981 Winard had put together the forerunner of of his future band (The Harper Brothers Band) ~ this band was the ‘D.C. Jazz Quintet.’ Reuben Brown played piano, the bass player was Pepe Gonzalez and James King on bass, his younger brother Philip on trumpet and Winard on drums. In 1983, Winard received a scholarship for the University of Hartford, Soon though New York was calling.

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ABOUT JAZZMOBILE FREE CONCERTS & MORE!

Jazzmobile’s mission is to present, preserve, promote and propagate America’s classical music, Jazz.

Founded in 1964 by National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, pianist, Dr. Billy Taylor and philanthropist and arts administrator, Ms. Daphne Anstein, Jazzmobile is the first U.S. not-for-profit arts and cultural organization created just for Jazz. Since the beginning, we have been bringing high quality Jazz performances and education programs to area residents, tourists and other visitors, reaching over 4,000,000 people living or visiting New York City. Our national programs brought us to other cities in the US; and the ‘Super Jazz Band’ had us touring cities in Europe and Japan.

Whether on the street, in a park or at a major concert hall here or abroad, Jazzmobile works in partnership with like-minded organizations to present high quality Jazz performances that enrich the culture and imbue new life into the surrounding area.

Our workshops, master classes, lecture demonstrations, and arts enrichment programs train the next generation of Jazz vocalists and musicians; while also exposing youth to this vibrant art form. For jazz aficionados and other enthusiasts, our panel discussions increase the knowledge of our many adult followers. Our primary aim is to reach out to communities where Jazz was nurtured and new forms born.

We are very proud of being an inspiration to other organizations such as The Manchester Craftsman’s Guild and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

www.jazzmobile.org