Wilbur Harden

Wilbur Harden
Background information
Birth name	Wilbur Harden
Born	(1924-12-31)December 31, 1924 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Died	June 10, 1969 New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	Hard bop Post-bop
Occupation(s)	Trumpeter
Instruments	Trumpet, flugelhorn
Associated acts	John Coltrane, Yusef Lateef

Wilbur Harden (December 31, 1924 in Birmingham, Alabama – June 10, 1969 in New York City) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer.^[1]

Harden is best remembered for his recordings with saxophonists Yusef Lateef and John Coltrane, and with trombonist Curtis Fuller. One of the earliest jazz trumpeters to double on flugelhorn, his playing became less frequent due to illness. He began his career with Roy Brown and Ivory Joe Hunter, before moving to Detroit in 1957 to play with Yusef Lateef's quintet. He was originally the bandleader of sessions recorded with Coltrane, but after Coltrane's rise to fame in the 1960s these albums were re-issued with his name given equal or greater prominence than Harden's.

In late 1958, Harden fell seriously ill, spending four years under medical care. His last recording session took place in 1960 with Fuller's group, following a brief release from the hospital. Subsequently, he stopped playing and died in 1969, in New York City.

He is a 1991 inductee of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.

Discography[]

As leader[]

• The King and I (1958, Savoy Records)
• Mainstream 1958 (1958, Savoy)
• Jazz Way Out (1958, Savoy)
• Tanganyika Strut (1958, Savoy)

Compilations

• Dial Africa: The Savoy Sessions (1977, Savoy)
• Gold Coast (1977, Savoy)
• Countdown: The Savoy Sessions (1978, Savoy)
• The Complete Savoy Sessions (1999)
• The Complete Mainstream 1958 Sessions (2009)

As sideman[]

With John Coltrane

• Gold Coast (1958, Savoy Records)
• Stardust (1958, Prestige Records)
• Standard Coltrane (1958, Prestige Records)
• The Master (Prestige Records)
• Bahia (Prestige Records)

With Curtis Fuller

• Images of Curtis Fuller (1960, Savoy Records)

With Yusef Lateef

• Jazz and the Sounds of Nature (Savoy, 1957)
• Prayer to the East (Savoy, 1957)
• The Sounds of Yusef (Prestige, 1957)
• Other Sounds (New Jazz, 1957)
• Cry! - Tender (New Jazz, 1957)

References[]