Kurt Jarnberg Trio

This artist's family, whose proper Swedish surname would also include an additional "e," came from the northern town of Gavle. That's pronounced a bit like gravel, or at least as if one had a mouth full of it. Better to have a mouthful of coffee, which the air in Gavle smells like due to several large industries dealing in same; an additional plus side to the air around Kurt Jarnberg's ancestral home was that it rang with the sound of trumpets, played not by angels but his brother and father. In his subsequent life devoted to brass instruments, Jarnberg seems to be bent on analyzing the subtle difference in tones available every step along the way, with a revolving examination of the instrument family in progress, from the mischievous unchronicled sins of the valve trombone to the flügelhorn's take on texture, a trumpet engine running on mellow juice. No wonder that the Swede sings the praises of trombonist Bill Harris, whose solos sound like a college honors thesis being defended from behind bars.

Actual environments involved in his musical progression included the army in the years immediately following the Second World War and the infamous Tivoli dancehall in Copenhagen until nearly a decade later. By the mid-'50s, something of a jazz scene was cooking in Scandinavia involving characters such as hard-bopper Lars Gullin and the Copenhagen-based Ib Glindemann band. In 1958 there were huge things happening for Jarnberg on trombone. He was chosen as a member of the Newport International Band, playing alongside pianist George Gruntz and guitarist Gabor Szabo, among others. The group recorded for Columbia in 1958, then Jarnberg was back stateside the following year to collaborate with ace trombonist Kai Winding in a sextet format. Subsequently, the trombonist blew with a new orchestra under the direction of Bill Russo and in a Duke Ellington tribute featuring tenor saxophonist Ben Webster. Jarnberg demonstrates ease with young players, taking on a huge project with the Newport Youth Band and then launching a similar organization after returning home, to be dubbed the Gavle Youth Band.