Swedish trumpeter Jan Allan launched his professional career in the early 1950s. Across subsequent decades his artistic path tracked the dominant currents of popular music, appearing wherever a trumpet part was required. A typical performance might adopt the approach of Herb Alpert, draw on bossa nova, deliver the brassy jazz-rock associated with Blood, Sweat & Tears, or pursue the progressive experiments of Stan Kenton.
Jazz captured Allan’s serious attention at age fourteen, leading him to abandon the piano he had begun studying at six in favor of the trumpet. Local engagements in Motala during 1951 preceded his relocation to Stockholm, where several years in assorted dance bands gave way to jazz work in a small group directed by bassist George Riedel.
Allan and Riedel next formed the quintet The Modern Swedes, in which Allan played both trumpet and piano. From 1955 to 1957 he worked with Carl-Henrik Norin. After a brief hiatus he co-led a quartet with Rolf Billberg that remained active until 1963. An orchestral phase then occupied much of the decade, taking him through shifting stylistic territories.
The worldwide successes of Alpert and Sergio Mendes prompted Allan to create parallel material, while the demand for horn sections in a popular rock style supplied steady employment for Swedish musicians and reshaped their programs accordingly.
His first album released entirely under his own leadership, 70, garnered enough awards in Sweden to confirm that he was regarded as a serious artist rather than a mere commercial entertainer. Freelance activity throughout the 1970s included regular assignments from national radio. He also appeared regularly when visiting American artists assembled ensembles from local players, performing in that capacity with trumpeter Thad Jones, trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, pianist John Lewis, tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh, and others. He can be heard on recordings by Lee Konitz and George Russell, further evidence that his lifelong commitment to jazz created opportunities beyond casual encounters with leading figures of the genre.
In the early 1980s Allan joined the Riedel Trio, extending an already established musical association. The group’s distinctive work has been presented chiefly on the European jazz circuit.
