American trombonist, born 2 July 1920 in Salina, Kansas, and raised in Amarillo, Texas; died 21 January 2012. After touring with [a=Charlie Spivak] 1944-1947, Harper settled in Hollywood, playing with [a=Teddy Edwards]' quintet and in the big bands of [a=Benny Goodman] 1947, [a=Charlie Barnet] 1948, [a=Stan Kenton] 1950 and [a=Jerry Gray] 1950-1952. In the mid-1950s he led own group, playing West Coast jazz and making records. From 1955 on, he was mainly active as a studio musician for NBC, but also recorded wit…