Wilbur Harden

Wilbur Harden
Birth name	Wilbur Harden
Born	December 31, 1924
Origin	Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Died	June 1969
Genres	Hard bop Post-bop
Occupations	Trumpeter
Instruments	trumpet, flugelhorn
Associated acts	John Coltrane, Yusef Lateef

Wilbur Harden (December 31, 1924, Birmingham, Alabama - June 1969, New York City) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and composer.

Harden is most known for his recordings with saxophonists Yusef Lateef and John Coltrane, and also with trombonist Curtis Fuller. One of the first jazz trumpeters to double on flugelhorn, Harden started playing less frequently due to illness. He started his career with Roy Brown and Ivory Joe Hunter, before moving to Detroit in 1957 to play with Yusef Lateef's quintet. 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, completely forgotten by the jazz world.

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 (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; Savoy 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 Records)
• Gong! (Savoy Records)
• Prayer To The East (Savoy Records)
• The Sounds Of Yusef (Prestige Records)
• Other Sounds (New Jazz)