egroj world: Oliver Nelson • 3-2-1-0

Saturday, October 28, 2023

Oliver Nelson • 3-2-1-0

Biography by Scott Yanow

The Blues and the Abstract Truth

Oliver Nelson was a distinctive soloist on alto, tenor, and even soprano, but his writing eventually overshadowed his playing skills. He became a professional early on in 1947, playing with the Jeter-Pillars Orchestra and with St. Louis big bands headed by George Hudson and Nat Towles. In 1951, he arranged and played second alto for Louis Jordan's big band, and followed with a period in the Navy and four years at a university. After moving to New York, Nelson worked briefly with Erskine Hawkins, Wild Bill Davis, and Louie Bellson (the latter on the West Coast). In addition to playing with Quincy Jones' orchestra (1960-1961), between 1959-1961 Nelson recorded six small-group albums and a big band date; those gave him a lot of recognition and respect in the jazz world. Blues and the Abstract Truth (from 1961) is considered a classic and helped to popularize a song that Nelson had included on a slightly earlier Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis session, "Stolen Moments." He also fearlessly matched wits effectively with the explosive Eric Dolphy on a pair of quintet sessions. But good as his playing was, Nelson was in greater demand as an arranger, writing for big band dates of Jimmy Smith, Wes Montgomery, and Billy Taylor, among others. By 1967, when he moved to Los Angeles, Nelson was working hard in the studios, writing for television and movies. He occasionally appeared with a big band, wrote a few ambitious works, and recorded jazz on an infrequent basis, but Oliver Nelson was largely lost to jazz a few years before his unexpected death at age 43 from a heart attack.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/oliver-nelson-mn0000398615/biography

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Biografía de Scott Yanow

El blues y la verdad abstracta

Oliver Nelson fue un distinguido solista de contralto, tenor e incluso soprano, pero su escritura finalmente eclipsó sus habilidades como intérprete. Se hizo profesional a principios de 1947, tocando con la Jeter-Pillars Orchestra y con las grandes bandas de St. Louis encabezadas por George Hudson y Nat Towles. En 1951, arregló y tocó como segundo contralto para la big band de Louis Jordan, y le siguió un período en la Marina y cuatro años en la universidad. Después de mudarse a Nueva York, Nelson trabajó brevemente con Erskine Hawkins, Wild Bill Davis y Louie Bellson (este último en la costa oeste). Además de tocar con la orquesta de Quincy Jones (1960-1961), entre 1959-1961 Nelson grabó seis álbumes de grupos pequeños y una cita con una gran banda, lo que le dio mucho reconocimiento y respeto en el mundo del jazz. Blues and the Abstract Truth (desde 1961) es considerado un clásico y ayudó a popularizar una canción que Nelson había incluido en una sesión de Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis un poco antes, "Stolen Moments". Además, en un par de sesiones de quinteto, el explosivo Eric Dolphy fue capaz de igualar su ingenio sin miedo. Pero por muy buena que fuera su interpretación, Nelson estaba en mayor demanda como arreglista, escribiendo para las fechas de las grandes bandas de Jimmy Smith, Wes Montgomery y Billy Taylor, entre otros. Para 1967, cuando se mudó a Los Ángeles, Nelson estaba trabajando duro en los estudios, escribiendo para la televisión y el cine. Ocasionalmente apareció con una gran banda, escribió algunas obras ambiciosas y grabó jazz con poca frecuencia, pero Oliver Nelson se perdió en el jazz unos años antes de su inesperada muerte a la edad de 43 años por un ataque cardíaco.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/oliver-nelson-mn0000398615/biography

Tracks:
1 - Straight No Chaser - 3:36
2 - Good Bait - 3:03
3 - So What - 3:47
4 - C Jam Blues - 3:16
5 - Blue Monk - 5:16
6 - 3-2-1-0 - 2:32
7 - Yearnin' - 6:04
8 - 12 Tone Blues - 2:52
9 - 5x5x5 - 3:45
10 - Mission Accomplished - 4:12

Credits:
    Alto Saxophone – Hajime Maekawa, Koji Suzuki (4)
    Arranged By – Oliver Nelson
    Band – Nobuo Hara & His Sharps & Flats*
    Baritone Saxophone – Nobuyuki Morikawa
    Bass – Hiroshi Takeuchi
    Composed By – Oliver Nelson (tracks: 6-10)
    Drums – Yoshio Nakamura
    Guitar – Takao Naoi
    Leader, Conductor – Nobuo Hara
    Piano – Masabumi Kikuchi, Toshihiko Ogawa
    Tenor Saxophone – Hisashige Kato*, Kazunori Taniguchi
    Trombone – Hiroshi Suzuki (2), Masahiro Nakajima, Tadao Taniyama, Tomoaki Hashizume
    Trumpet – Hiroshi Sanami, Kunitoshi Shinohara, Shuzo Morikawa, Teruyuki Fukushima

Originally issued 1969
Label:    Columbia Music Entertainment – COCB-53748
Series:    Forever Nobuo Hara
Country:    Japan
Released:    Oct 29, 2008
Genre:    Jazz
Style:    Post Bop, Big Band
https://www.discogs.com/release/6802319-Oliver-Nelson-Nobuo-Hara-His-Sharps-Flats-3-2-1-0