Winard Harper & Jeli Posse

Artist Information

Biography

Downbeat magazine says, "Winard Harper is one of his generation's greatest standards bearers. Harper's goal seems plain and simple - propel the ensemble with a dynamic sense of swing."

Harper summarizes Jeli Posse's swing savvy, world spiced flavor when he shares, “Everything builds on everything as the values and traditions are passed down. From the African roots to today, many ingredients have been thrown into the pot. The band continues to expand on the the ground laid by the medicine men and messengers before us."

Harper's lifelong jazz apprenticeship has taken him around the world. It includes playing and recording with many greats, including Betty Carter, Johnny Griffin, Dr. Billy Taylor and Dexter Gordon. Influences include Jackie McClean, Clifford Brown, Max Roach, Cannonball Adderley, and Billy Higgins. "Higgins had a big impact on me as a person and musician. He played with such joy. He saw jazz as spiritual and social work and walked the talk."

Those early years also instilled a strong sense of what it means to be a band. "Building something together... sharing vision, cohesion, sacrifices and growth over time... that makes a band.", says Harper.

The Baltimore native, born in 1962, got an early start with the help of his father and older brother, Danny. By age five, he was making guest appearances with Danny's band. He recalls an epiphany while listening to recordings. "I was fascinated hearing Max do the things he did with percussion of all types," he recalls. “I knew jazz was what I wanted to play.”

Winard co-founded the internationally acclaimed Harper Brothers with trumpeter sibling, Philip in the 80's. Their solo paths diverged in 1993. In 1994, Winard recorded Be Yourself on the Epicure label and has continued to perform and record world-wide. 30 plus years of band leadership reflect an ever evolving mission to enlighten, heal and uplift.

Philip Booth says of his latest release, "The drummer gives the saxophonists some on Coexist, another round of sophisticated truth telling from Winard Harper that demonstrates high standards of musical excellence when it comes to expansive compositions, creative arrangements and choice of able bandmates"

Instrumentation

Roy Assaf - Piano
Alioune Faye - Percussion
Winard Harper - Drums
Bruce Harris - Trumpet
Noah Jackson - Bass
Jonathan Beshay - Saxophone
Jazzmeia Horn - Vocals

Discography

CoExist - Jazz Legacy Productions, 2012
Make it Happen - Piadrum Records, 2006
Come into the Light - Savant, 2004
A Time for the Soul - Savant, 2003
Faith - Savant, 2000
Winard - Savant, 1999
Trap Dancer - Savant, 1998
Be Yourself - Epicure, 1994

Official Website

http://www.sonicbids.com/winardharper

Links

• Last.fm
• Twitter
• MySpace
• Facebook

Audio

• Hard Times
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• Something Special
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• Helen's Song
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• Get Tough
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• Jeli Posse
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• A Bientot
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• Moanin'
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• Alone Together
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• Mr. Baggy Pants
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• Dat Dere
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Video

WHS 3 Minute Preview

Photo Gallery

Press

• Sparks Listeners
  

  "His engaging performance and positive spirit sparks listeners."

• Spicy [+ Show ]
  

  Though Make It Happen (Piadrum) is drummer Winard Harper’s seventh release, it doesn’t concentrate o...Though Make It Happen (Piadrum) is drummer Winard Harper’s seventh release, it doesn’t concentrate on bombastic numbers. Instead it features Harper excelling in complementary and front roles, backing and heading both a sextet and larger band on both short and more extensive tunes. “Make It Happen” includes some rollicking playing on didgeridoo from Wycliffe Gordon (who’s just as impressive on trombone), while “BangBangBoomBapBap” is a drum/various rhythm instrument workout tune, and “Morning Glow,” “The Prayer” and “Get It! Get It!” offer ample space to tenor saxophonist Stacy Dillard, alto saxophonist Antonio Hart, trumpeter Josh Evans, pianist Sean Higgins and pianist/synthesizer player T.W. Sample for either aggressive or softer solos and collective sections. The blend of originals, standards and surprising choices (Charlie Parker’s “Segment,” Avery Parrish’s “After Hours”) are the final component that spice and differentiate Make It Happen.
  
  
  Full article:
  http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=12&screen=news&news_id=53693

• Heartfelt Music [+ Show ]
  

  "...It was the evening's third piece, Here's to Life, that most clearly expressed the band's spirit...."...It was the evening's third piece, Here's to Life, that most clearly expressed the band's spirit. This bittersweet, traditional Jazz tune exemplifies the band's overtly positive, life-affirming, yet deeply felt musical commitment."

• Defies Classification [+ Show ]
  

  Cadence Magazine Diversified, creative, straight-ahead and world music are all wrapped up in this t...Cadence Magazine
  Diversified, creative, straight-ahead and world music are all wrapped up in this tight production, one that defies classification. What kind of Jazz is this that the Winard Harper Sextet is recording? It's fresh, lively, and serious all in the same exalted breath. Just when I think I've pinpointed a direction, the compass needle flies out of control and rests at a sixty-five degree angle from the point of prudence. Believe me, there is nothing safe or cautious about this CD. Harper pushes at the limits, like cooking rice and beans in a too small pot. It's bound to boil over. Opening the CD with a Charlie Parker tune called 'Segment," the drums carry me to an African nation far from the comfort of my living room. The talking drums drive at the listener and shout their message with repetitive strokes of palm on skins. Harper duets with percussionist Alione Faye, while the piano lays down a Latin American salsa line. We leave Africa and head for South America or perhaps even the Caribbean.
  
  Whoever recorded and mastered this session is to be saluted. The sound on the drums and the piano are crystal clear and engaging. Their tones are absolutely natural, vibrant and live! Then the horns arrive, racing like gazelles running from the hunter's bullet. All of this happening on a single song shows how Harper can intoxicate the listener's imagination. On the second cut, "Children of the World," Harper continues his love of percussive experimentation. He uses the Balafon. This instrument is an open framework made of wood, metal, or bamboo and is covered by 12 to 21 hardwood (rosewood or similar) keys, hardened by fire and graduated in order of size. Gourd resonators are placed below the keys and have a second lateral hole covered by a membrane (e.g., spider cocoon fibers) to obtain a typical buzzing sound. This instrument is similar to Marimba or an Xylophone.
  
  There are extraordinary musical moments captured on Harper's CD. It's like a piñata, stuffed with pleasant surprises, like the guest appearance Wycliffe Gordon on trombone. The CD explores a host of unusual and percussive instruments that add pizzazz to an already Jazzy party. For example, on the title cut "Make It Happen," you can clearly hear the Balafon, but you will also hear the growl of a didgeridoo. Further on , enjoy Jeremy Jones, who brings highlights to this session with his tambourine and cowbell licks, but also with the Dun dun. Kevin Jones plays the Jamba, along with other more traditional and recognizable percussive instruments. However, every song is not all rhythm and rage. There are some tender moments when special guest, Antonio Hart makes sweet on "Tamisha." "Lourana" is another beautiful, melodic composition. Harper was a student and friend of the late Billy Higgins and he credits much of his percussive experimentation to this relationship. There's a lot of Max Roach fire and flavor in his playing, but basically Harper is his own man; master percussionist, producer, composer and illustrious leader of an ensemble where everyone shines!

• Drummer Winard Harper Sets Pace [+ Show ]
  

  "Of course, drummers can lead bands, though it doesn't happen very often; and they can lead in all k..."Of course, drummers can lead bands, though it doesn't happen very often; and they can lead in all kinds of ways. Winard Harper inspired with skill and uplifted with joy on Friday at A Place for Jazz, entertaining and making music in the rambunctious style of Elvin Jones, rather than the perfectionist, intimidating martinet way of Buddy Rich."

• Unmistakable Sound [+ Show ]
  

  "This is the unmistakable sound of a top-flight band that has come into its own and is capable of go..."This is the unmistakable sound of a top-flight band that has come into its own and is capable of going just about anywhere musically."

• Long Time Coming [+ Show ]
  

  "Not since Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers has there been as exciting a group in Jazz as The Wina..."Not since Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers has there been as exciting a group in Jazz as The Winard Harper Sextet."

• All as One [+ Show ]
  

  "Each [player] possesses their own voice, and each, under the expert guidance of Harper, are capable..."Each [player] possesses their own voice, and each, under the expert guidance of Harper, are capable of synthesizing their disparate styles and personalities into a whole, both unique and greater than the sum of its parts."

• Solid [+ Show ]
  

  "Along with their emphasis on hard-bop entertainment values, on good times, flash and swing, they ha..."Along with their emphasis on hard-bop entertainment values, on good times, flash and swing, they have solid music to offer."

• Fireworks [+ Show ]
  

  "The night culminated, like an evening of fireworks, with a sustained display of percussive pyrotech..."The night culminated, like an evening of fireworks, with a sustained display of percussive pyrotechnics by Harper so rapid fire, so mind bogglingly dexterous, and so expressively diverse, as to be truly awe inspiring."

• Truth Teller [+ Show ]
  

  Says Philip Booth of Jazztimes, "The drummer gives the saxophonists some on Coexist, another round o...Says Philip Booth of Jazztimes, "The drummer gives the saxophonists some on Coexist, another round of sophisticated truth telling from Winard Harper that demonstrates high standards of musical excellence when it comes to expansive compositions, creative arrangements and choice of able bandmates."

• Standard Bearer [+ Show ]
  

  Winard Harper is one of his generation's greatest standards bearers. Harper's goal seems simple - p...Winard Harper is one of his generation's greatest standards bearers. Harper's goal seems simple - propel the ensemble with a dynamic sense of swing.

• A Drummer of Huge Presence [+ Show ]
  

  Winard Harper: a drummer of huge presence February 07, 2009|By Howard Reich, TRIBUNE CRITIC Not ...Winard Harper: a drummer of huge presence
  February 07, 2009|By Howard Reich, TRIBUNE CRITIC
  
  Not all young jazz lions of the 1980s and '90s disappeared into obscurity. Some have blossomed into significant figures, few more compelling than drummer Winard Harper.
  
  Though he made his name with the Harper Brothers band (which he led with sibling Philip Harper on trumpet), Winard Harper in recent years has made a deeper contribution in his own right. A drummer of huge presence and ample virtuosity, he now finds himself mentor to a new generation of young artists, such as the three advanced students who rounded out his sextet Thursday night at the Jazz Showcase.
  

• Harmonious Sounds [+ Show ]
  

  I do know that he himself makes some harmonious sounds with his band on this exciting, post-bop, col...I do know that he himself makes some harmonious sounds with his band on this exciting, post-bop, collection of freshly written and older material.

Setlist

Set Length:
Generally plays up to three ninety minute sets per appearance unless otherwise specified.

Typical Set List:
The typical set consists a tasteful combination Jazz standards, jazz arranged contemporary compositions and band originals.

Basic Requirements

Calendar