Winard Harper was born in Baltimore in 1962, a child prodigy. Although his parents were not musicians they were full of encouragment 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.
The doors open at 4:30 PM. There is a $8 entertainment fee and a $40 minimum for food and drinks per person. Please arrive at least 30 minutes before the scheduled set time, and reservations are highly encouraged.
