Winard Harper © Joe Montague

Prior to forming a scintillating band with his brother Philip in the late 1980’s, and then embarking on a career fronting his own ensemble, Harper shared the stage with such notable performers as Dexter Gordon, Betty Carter, Pharoah Sanders and Clifford Jordan. The Harper Brothers Quintet’s sophomore project Remembrance (1991) went all the way to # 1 on Billboard’s jazz charts. He’s led his current sextet for over a decade, currently featuring Stacy Dillard (tenor sax), Josh Evans (trumpet), Sean Higgins (piano), Ameen Saleem (bass) and David Fraser (African percussion)

The Winard Harper Sextet opened their first set with the standard “Sentimental.” Pianist Sean Higgins was elegant as he stroked the keys, and bassist Ameen Saleem, although playing in pizzicato fashion, was so silky smooth he appeared to be caressing the four strings versus plucking them. For his part, Harper alternated playing with brushes, sticks and mallets, sometimes with one of each at the same time.

The sextet smoothly segued into “Alone Together” before moving into “Float Like A Butterfly.” Higgins visited most of the octaves on his keyboard, while Harper made full use of his drum kit including elbow on the crash cymbal when he ran out of hands. Harper is a man who has fun with his gigs, often flashing a broad smile during a song, or as he did on several occasions during improvisations, uttering exclamations such as “nice.” At other times, he just laughed as he reveled in the sextet’s chemistry.

Stacy Dillard

At one point during the first set, the Winard Harper Sextet played a piece that at first only utilized percussion instruments before adding the bass, which provided a steady drone. Eventually the drum kit and piano were phased in. We should take this opportunity to recognize the talents of the multi-talented percussionist David Fraser. Fraser played the shakers, an ashiko (cousin to the djembe), what appeared to be the Nigerian udu and numerous other African percussion instruments.

Harper introduced the second set by playing Happy Birthday to a member of the audience and spent time chatting with various patrons. The languid and mellow opening bars of the original composition “Divine Surveillance,” from his current CD Make It Happen, began another foray into more delicious grooves. The song then transitioned into a rapid trumpet solo, followed by melancholy horns.

The evening closed out with Charlie Parker’s bebop tune, “Segment,” and Harper’s original composition, “Elite State of Mind,” which featured Dillard’s tenor sax.

Winard Harper’s upcoming tour dates:

• August 21-22, at Dimitrious’ Jazz Alley in Seattle (www.jazzalley.com)

• August 23, at California’s Downtown Berkley Jazz Festival (noon-1:30 pm)

• September 1, at the free Music Festival In The Park at Lincoln Park, Jersey City, New Jersey.

• September 7-8 at the Lenox Lounge in New York City.