Jazz / Post-Bop, Hard Bop, Progressive Jazz
Oliver Nelson - Sax (Alto), Conductor, Arranger
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie Drums
Bernt Stean Trumpet
Bertil Strandberg Trombone
Bob Sydor Sax (Tenor)
Bob Thiele Original Album Producer
Bosko Petrovic Vibraphone, Drums, Tarbuka
Buddy Baker Trombone
C.J. Shibly Trombone
Charles Tolliver Flugelhorn, Trumpet
Daniel Baumgarten Preparation for Release, Reissue Producer
Daniel Moore Trumpet
Donald Beightol Trombone
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson Sax (Alto)
Gato Barbieri Sax (Tenor)
Giuseppe Pino Photography
Haig Adishian Original Design Concept
Harry Beckett Trumpet
Hugo Rasmussen Bass
Jean-Pierre Chalbos Digital Remastering
Jesper Thilo Sax (Alto)
Jim Nissen Trombone (Bass)
John Thomas Trombone
Michal Urbaniak Sax (Tenor)
Monte Holz Trombone
Ozren Depolo Sax (Alto)
Richie Cole Trumpet
Sonny Morgan Conga
Stanley Cowell Piano
Stephan Sulke Mixing
Steve Stevenson Sax (Baritone)
Tom Hanley Photography
Tony May Remixing
Victor Gaskin Bass
Remastered reissue of 1971 album. Packaged in a digipak reproduction of the original artwork. First time on CD. Featuring Gato Barbieri and Eddie'Cleanhead'Vinson.
24bit Digitally remastered with restored original artwork.
Recorded at the 1971 Montreux Jazz Festival, this big-band outing features a mostly all-star band and altoist Oliver Nelson (who wrote all of the arrangements and compositions) and trumpeter Danny Moore on remakes of "Stolen Moments," "Black, Brown & Beautiful" and "Blues and the Abstract Truth." However it is the nearly 27-minute "Swiss Suite" that dominates this album and although tenorman Gato Barbieri has a couple of raging solos, it is a five-minute segment when guest altoist Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson plays the blues that is most memorable. Vinson's classic spot alone is worth the price of this hard-to-find LP. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
Oliver Nelson
Active Decades: '50s, '60s and '70s
Born: Jun 04, 1932 in St. Louis, MO
Died: Oct 27, 1975 in Los Angeles, CA
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Soul-Jazz, Fusion, Post-Bop, Hard Bop, Modern Big Band, Mainstream Jazz, Soundtracks, Film Music
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.
---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
