Wilbur Harden with John Coltrane: "Mainstream 1958"

Wilbur Harden continues our Jazz Feature series this month on unknown or obscure musicians. Wilbur Harden fills the bill nicely. He was a wonderful player whose career was cur short by illness so he was only on the Jazz scene from 1957 until his final recording in 1960. Harden was born in Birmingham, Alabama on Dec. 31,1924 and was a self-taught trumpeter. He began playing in R&B bands and when he was touring with Ivory Joe hunter, he ended up in Detroit when he committed himself to playing Jazz and joined tenor saxophonist Yusef Lateef's band and switched from trumpet to the more mellow flugelhorn. He was one of the first to do this. He later went to New York and played with John Coltrane and began recording for Savoy Records. He made four wonderful dates for them in 1958, three with Coltrane as a sideman. Our Jazz feature tonight is his first called "Mainstream 1958". 6 Harden compositions are featured. Harden with Coltrane are backed by all ex-Detroiters: Tommy Flanagan on piano, Doug Watkins, bass and Louis Hayes on drums. Harden was not a flashy player but an original thoughtful player who would have made more of a contribution had not illness curtailed and ended his playing career. He died in obscurity in New York on June 10, 1969.