With Concerts Canceled, Morristown Jazz Festival Drummer Took Act To Sidewalk

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Winard Harper liked banging on things as a child, and his family noticed he had some rhythm. Naturally, the musicians in Harper's life steered him toward the drums at an early age.

A month or two into the pandemic, Harper missed beating on those drums. So he and the musicians in his orbit took the Jersey City streets for socially distanced "Sidewalk Jazz."

Learn more about the Morristown Blues & Jazz Festival musicians, and enter for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate for the Morristown Partnership: Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival: The Insider's Guide

Winard Harper & Jeli Posse will take the stage from 4-6 p.m. at Saturday's Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival. But even during New Jersey's coronavirus lockdown, they hardly missed a beat with performing.

Harper's nephew's roommates in New York all went home during the lockdown, so his nephew moved in with him. Just like that, Harper had a bass player. Guitarist Charlie Sigler, who will perform with Harper on Saturday, came over, and they developed a band.

"That was at the point where everybody was thirsty for some music and entertainment," Harper told Patch. "We started having people come up to sit in."

They livestreamed performances on Facebook and Instagram. Soon enough, neighbors came out to watch. Musicians came out to play. Police even pulled up to enjoy the show, and even strangers joined the makeshift concerts.

"One day, there was a guy driving up the street who plays congas, and he couldn’t believe it," Harper said. "Next thing I know, he came back around the block, pulled his congas out the car and he sat in and played."

It wasn't just pandemic boredom that made jazz performances fitting for the sidewalk. According to Harper, there's nothing more American than jazz, where he sees all walks of life, ethnicities, races and religions coming together to play in harmony.

"Everybody gets a say-so, and then everybody else helps them have a say-so," Harper said. "That’s what democracy is supposed to be. It’s truly American. Especially coming from an oppressed people who have strived and struggled for that American dream, that was the sand in the oyster that created the pearl."

Harper will be joined at the Jazz Festival by saxophonist Anthony Ware, pianist Tadataka Unno, trumpeter Ted Chubb, guitarist Charlie Sigler, bassist Dishan Harper, tap dancer Josh Johnson, singer Kameelah Harper and a percussionist. Watch Winard Harper & Jeli Posse perform below:

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