The King and I

by Ken DrydenThe brief career of trumpeter and flügelhornist Wilbur Harden, who retired from jazz at the age of just 35 and dropped from sight after recording a handful of sessions between 1950 and 1960, is best known because of his several sessions that feature John Coltrane; this quartet date exploring works from the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical The King and I represents his only other date as a leader. Joined by pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist George Duvivier, and drummer Granville T. Hogan, Harden's arrangements are a bit disappointing, as they don't take enough risks with the melody or the rhythm. The leader sounds like he's not quite in top form on either of his instruments, as if he just wasn't sure which direction he was taking. Although Flanagan and Duvivier were among the best musicians that Harden could have recruited, they seem overly shackled and never properly featured. Even though works from other Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals attracted the attention of jazz musicians (especially "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music), most of the material from The King and I hasn't been very widely explored (though Jaki Byard could dazzle an audience with his brilliant interpretation of "Hello, Young Lovers"), though the potential is surely there for a good arranger.