Wilbur Harden - 1958 - Tanganyika Strut

Wilbur Harden 

1958

Tanganyika Strut

01. Tanganyika Strut
02. B.J.
03. Anedac
04. Once In A While

Bass – Ali Jackson
Drums – Art Taylor
Flugelhorn – Wilbur Harden
Piano – Howard Williams (tracks: A2 to B2)
Piano – Tommy Flanagan (tracks: A1)
Tenor Saxophone – John Coltrane
Trombone – Curtis Fuller

A1: Recorded June 24, 1958
A2 to B2: Recorded May 13, 1958

"Whether you call it 'Far Out' or 'Near In' or 'Funky' or 'Mainstream Modern' or 'Beat' . . . this is the sound! Four extended virtuous tracks by a group of outstanding representatives of everything that is happening new on the modern jazz scene! In the kind of odd geography that occasionally plays in important part in the history of jazzmen (i.e. New Orleans, Kansas City, Chicago) this group is dominated by the young lions from Detroit, Michigan . . . breeding place for much of today's important young modern jazz element." -- H. Alan Stein, from the original liner notes

Wilbur Harden - 1958 - Jazz Way Out

Wilbur Harden 

1958

Jazz Way Out

01. Dial Africa 8:40
02. Oomba 5:29
03. Gold Coast 14:33

CD Bonus:
04. Rhodamagnetics (tk 1) 7:57
05. Dial Africa (tk 1) 8:02

Bass – Ali Jackson
Drums – Art Taylor
Flugelhorn – Wilbur Harden
Piano – Tommy Flanagan
Tenor Saxophone – John Coltrane
Trombone – Curtis Fuller

Recorded June 24, 1958.

The presence of John Coltrane on this 1958 Savoy release is its obvious drawing card, but in fact there are impressive contributions from all hands. Leader Wilbur Harden left the jazz scene by the early '60s, which is a pity. He was a player with fresh ideas and an engaging command of his trumpet's and flügelhorn's middle register. The sextet heard on this date performs two Harden compositions and one by the group's trombonist, Curtis Fuller, for a skimpy total running time of 29 minutes. The "way out" reference in the title is misleading. There are traces of exotic Asian and African influences, but they never overpower what is essentially an intelligent, straight-ahead, hard bop date. At the time of this release, Coltrane had been recording as a leader and sideman for Prestige and was on his second tour of duty with Miles Davis, whose group was on the verge of recording Kind of Blue. (Coltrane was also about to begin recording for Atlantic.) With Harden's group, Coltrane, as he did with Davis and on his own Atlantic recordings, systematically (and with sublime composure) turns the chord changes inside out, upside down, and sideways, creating a new vocabulary, syntax, and structure for jazz. Coltrane completists will definitely want these tracks in their collections, but the less fanatical listener will also have no difficulty in appreciating the collective performances of the entire sextet.