Jazz Library

The French saxophonist Barney Wilen is best known for his 1950s recordings with Miles Davis, on the score for Louis Malle's film "Lift to the Scaffold". But his work is much wider than this. After growing up in America, he fitted naturally into groups led by the drummer Roy Haynes, Art Blakey and Kenny Clarke. But he was also a towering figure in his own country's music, pioneering both jazz rock and world music influences on jazz. Tom Perchard joins Alyn Shipton to explore the high points in Wilen's recorded repertoire.