Putte Wickman

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...