“Mainstream 1958: The East Coast Jazz Scene” is the first of the three Savoy 1958 straight-ahead, hard bop recordings made by Wilbur Harden - one of the first trumpeters to regularly double on flugelhorn - with John Coltrane.
 
Wilbur Harden is a mystery man in jazz history, for he appeared on some important recording sessions - most notably with John Coltrane in 1958 on “Stardust”, “Standard Coltrane” and “Bahia” - and then, after 1960, pretty well disappeared.
 
After playing R&B with Roy Brown and Ivory Joe Hunter, Harden emerged in 1957, recording with Yusef Lateef, and led four record dates for Savoy in 1958; three were with Coltrane – “Mainstream 1958”, “Jazz Way Out” and “Tanganyika Strut” - and one, “The King and I”, in a quartet with Tommy Flanagan.

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



Wilbur Harden with John Coltrane

Mainstream 1958: The East Coast Jazz Scene 

[Savoy MG 12127]

1958


  CD / 1992 / Remastered / 320Kbps


Tracklist:

Wells Fargo

West 42nd Street

E.F.F.P.H

Snuffy

Rhodomagnetics


Recorded at the Rudy Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, NJ on March 13, 1958


Personnel:

Wilbur Harden — trumpet, flugelhorn

John Coltrane — tenor saxophone

Tommy Flanagan — piano

Doug Watkins — bass

Louis Hayes — drums


Wilbur Harden with John Coltrane 
Mainstream 1958: The East Coast Jazz Scene [Savoy MG 12127]
1958