Jo Privat 1945 1958

Quite a rare set from this important Swedish player - one recorded in Sweden by Metronome, but issued here in the US on the short-lived East-West imprint of Atlantic. The tracks all feature Gullin on baritone sax - in a variety of settings that range through quartet, quintet, sextet, octet, and big band. As always, Lars pulls far more out of the instrument than any of his contemporaries could hope to - and the backing he gets from Swedish modernists like Arne Domnerus, Rune Ofwerman, Bert Dahlander, and Sven Ake Persson really help keep things moving along at a strong pace.

The second of two sets that document a Paris concert by trumpeter Donald Byrd, Parisian Thoroughfare features Bobby Jaspar on tenor and flute, pianist Walter Davis, Jr., bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Art Taylor. Other than Byrd's "At This Time" and Davis' "Formidable," the quintet sticks to bop standards, many of which are quite concise and clock in at around three minutes. Longer versions of the title track (a high point) and "52nd Street Theme" are exceptions. This spirited, bop-oriented music is the equal of the first volume.

Tanganyika Strut is the last of the three 1958 Savoy recordings made by jazz musicians John Coltrane and Wilbur Harden. The album would be Harden's last as a leader. The sessions also produced a couple of alternate takes which can be found on some compilations, most notably the ones featuring the complete Savoy recordings made by Harden and Coltrane together, The Complete Mainstream 1958 Sessions (2009) and The Complete Savoy Sessions (1999).