Lars Gullin was a giant of jazz who just happened to be from Sweden. He should be thought of on the same level as all other 1950s baritone saxophonists who excelled in small groups, including Gerry Mulligan, Serge Chaloff, Jimmy Giuffre and Bob Gordon, among others. Gullin's dry, lyrical tone was probably closest to Mulligan's and Gordon's, but his sense of improvisation and how he sailed along during solos was elegant and tasteful. What's particularly interesting is that Gullin's tone pre-dates the development of West Coast jazz. His cool-jazz sound and gentle attack dates back to recordings from 1951, and my guess it was likely influenced by Lee Konitz's and Stan Getz's visits to Stockholm that year.
Over the last few days, I've been listening to the 11-volume set of Lars Gullin on Sweden's Dragon label. The music is extraordinary and covers the late 1940s and entire 1950s. Gullin was a bebopper at heart but played the baritone sax with the flavor of Konitz and Getz—high up on the instrument's range and with an pale airiness that seems like an extension of what was happening in Hollywood at the time.
Born in Sanda, on Gotland, Sweden's largest island about three hours off the country's eastern coast, Gullin was a prodigy as a child on the accordion, switching to the clarinet and then the alto saxophone. As an adult, he moved to Stockholm in 1947 where he began working as a professional pianist. Asked to sit in on baritone saxophone in Seymour Österwall’s band in 1949, Gillin discovered the instrument that truly reflected his musical personality. Interestingly, his first major recording was with Konitz in 1951.
Unfortunately, the 11-volume Dragon set doesn't come in a single box. Instead, they are sold individually. Let me list the different albums so you can find them...
- The Sideman: 1949/52
- More Sideman: 1951/54
- First Walk: 1951/52
- Silhouette: 1951/1953
- Modern Sounds: 1953
- Danny's Dream: 1953-55
- After 8 P.M.: 1954/56
- Late Summer: 1954/56
- Summertime: 1954/56
- With Chet Baker 1955-56
- Baritome: 1959/60
The material is enormously satisfying, and once again, there isn't a dull side among the 117 tracks—from small groups to big bands. If you're looking for an entry point into Swedish jazz, this is it.
Gullin died of a heart attack in 1976 after years of addiction to methadone
JazzWax tracks: You'll find the Dragon releases at Amazon by searching for them individually. They are available as CDs and downloads.
Great news! All of the albums are available at Spotify.
JazzWax clips: Here's Lars Gullin with his octet playing Danny-O in April 1951 (shades of the Dave Pell Octet!)...
Here's Smooth Breeze in October 1952, which is quite reminiscent of the Miles Davis Nonet's so-called Birth of the Cool recordings of the period. I wonder if Kontiz was carrying a few of those 78s with him in 1951 and left them with Gullin, particularly Venus de Milo...
A special thanks to David Langner.
