WINARD HARPER & JELI POSSE

BETHANY BAPTIST CHURCH / APRIL 4

Drummer, composer, and educator Winard Harper got his start with Betty Carter in the 1980s and hit it big with The Harper Brothers, which he formed with his brother, trumpeter Philip Harper. Although he has led Jeli Posse since 1993, he was also part of the Billy Taylor Trio for many years. A virtuoso on the drums and the balafon, a West African marimba, Winard has performed or recorded with many greats, including Ray Bryant, Wycliffe Gordon, Etta Jones, Jazzmeia Horn, Houston Person, Frank Wess, and Monty Alexander, to name a few. Named Favorite Drummer by Hot House Jazz Magazine, Winard will perform at Bethany Baptist Church in Newark with trumpeter Ted Chubb, saxophonist Jalin Shiver, guitarist Charlie Sigler, pianist Brandon McCune, bassist Anthony Perez, and vocalist Joy Brown. —DJS