Putte Wickman was born on September 10, 1924, in the Swedish town of Falun. He learned the clarinet, and by the time he left school he was ready for a professional career in Sweden. When he started out, bebop was just becoming the rage, and he adapted quite easily. He performed with Simon Brehm and Charlie Norman for a period, but eventually moved out on his own to start his own gospel/jazz group with pianist Reinhold Svensson. The two performed together in Stockholm until the mid-'50s, when Wickman dropped off to play with various other jazz artists and lead a big band at the...