Winard Harper

By the time The Harper Brothers burst onto the jazz scene in 1988, older brother Winard Harper was a seasoned jazz veteran at the age of 27. He had already spent the better part of the decade performing with some of the greatest names in jazz. At 20, he was playing the drums first with Dexter Gordon, and then with Johnny Griffin. Harper then honed his chops for the next four years under the tutelage of the late, great Betty Carter. Known for her exacting expectations from her musicians, Carter helped fine-tune the talents of the young drummer from Baltimore.



It was in the legendary vocalist's band that Harper made the acquaintance of trombone player, Wycliffe Gordon. Working well together in Carter's band, the two musicians have continued to collaborate on projects. Most recently, each man appeared on the other's CD releases in the year 2000. Harper guested on Gordon's album, The Gospel Truth, while Gordon appears on Harper's Faith With Carrie Smith. Both albums are testaments to the influence of the gospel tradition on the lives of these young lions of jazz. The records also indicate the growing maturity of the artists, as their music and sources continue to broaden and deepen.

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