Take Off

Rudi Wilfer: Rudi Wilfer was born in 1936 in Salzburg, Austria. His first engagement was with the Uzzi Foerster Band. His career began with the Fatty George Band (Wilfer followed Joe Zawinul on piano) during the swinging sixties in Vienna. The Rudi Wilfer Trio made its debut at the end of the sixties (with constant productions for the public Austrian Broadcasting Company). Always searching for a new experience, Rudi Wilfer worked with the Charly Antolini Band "Jazz Power", with Max Greger Jr., Friedrich Gulda, Carl Drewo, Bud Freeman, Eddie "Lockjaw Davies, Lee Harper, Karl Ratzer Aladar Pege, Rudi Staeger, Fatty George, Erich Kleinschuster Sextett, Karl Ratzer, Joe Zawinul and many others. Rudi Wilfer is a professor for piano and compositon at the conservatory in Vienna, Austria. His "St. Michaeler Messe" was performed at the 1st Salzburger Jazz-Herbst 1996 in the Salzburg Cathedral. In 2001, during his 65th birthday, Rudi Wilfer wrote his "Lungauer Blues Messe", which had its premiere at the same place, also during the Salzburger Jazz-Herbst. In 2008 Wilfer got honored with the "Österreichische Ehrenkreuz für Wissenschaft und Kunst". His new "Requiem for Joe Zawinul" was performed at the Salzburger Jazz-Herbst 2009 in Salzburg, Austria. Lee Harper: Wilson Leroy Harper was born on February 27th, 1945 in Camp Le Jeune, N.C. (USA). In his youth, his father taught him how to play the trumpet. He played in various school orchestras until 1960. He entered college in 1963, graduated in Political Science and Public Administration in 1967, and worked for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in the Urban Renewal and Model Cities Programs, mostly in Seattle and Honolulu. He left this job in late 1971, having started to play trumpet again. He played most of 1972 in Seattle and moved to Europe late that year. His first locations in Europe were Paris, Salzburg and Munich, where he played with Al Porcino, Bobby Jones, Catharina Valente, Benny Bailey, Günter Lenz, Mal Waldron, Sal Nistico, Joe Haider, Boško Petrović, Art Farmer, Charly Antolini, Bob Wilber, Billy Brooks, Allan Praskin, etc. In the Munich years he also participated in several jazz recordings. In late 1979 Lee Harper met Erich Kleinschuster and moved to Vienna to work in Kleinschuster's quintett and the Austrian Radio (ORF) Big-Band. In the Vienna years he also worked with many great musicians, including Thad Jones, Leo Wright, Hans Koller, Fritz Pauer, Ernie Wilkins, Art Farmer, Paul Kuhn, Karl Ratzer, and Aladar Pege. In late 1985 Lee Harper moved to Salzburg. He has played with Rudi Wilfer, Barbara Dennerlein, Al Cohn, Charlie Mariano, Jarek Smietana, Renato Chicco, Robert Bonisolo, Connexion Latina, Carl Drevo, Heinz von Hermann, Frankfurt Jazz Connection, Alex Meik, Russ Spiegel, Karen Edwards, Franz Trattner, Wolfgang Pointner, Buddy Cattlet, Hadley Caliman, Bill Elgart, Wayne Darling and Lee Harper's Little Big Band. Between 1976 and the present, he has participated in numerous jazz festivals and taught in various seminars and workshops. He has been teaching jazz trumpet and flugelhorn at the Kärntner Landeskonservatorium in Klagenfurt since 1987. Lee Harper can be heard on several solo LPs and CDs, as well as recordings of the ORF Big Band, Boško Petrović Big Band, Charly Antolini, Hans Koller, Karl Ratzer, Aladar Pege, Jenny Evans, Roland Hollik etc. Lee Harper has passed away following a heart attack on November 10, 2010.