Happy Birthday, Oliver Nelson

Jazz saxophonist and arranger Oliver Nelson was born on June 4, 1932, in St. Louis, Missouri. Nelson was, as critic Scott Yanow notes, "a distinctive soloist on alto, tenor, and even soprano [saxophone], but his writing eventually overshadowed his playing skills."

Nelson's best known album, The Blues and the Abstract Truth, according to Len Lyons, "receives nearly the same adulation among musicians as Miles Davis's Kind of Blue to which it is similar in style ..."

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Nelson's album, Three Dimensions: The Dedication Series, Vol. 3 (Impulse). This album is not available on CD, and Jim Determan recommends instead two of Nelson albums:

• The Blues and the Abstract Truth (Analogue Products) (Purchase the CD at Amazon.com.)
• Sound Pieces (Impulse) (Purchase the CD at Amazon.com.)

Nelson's Septet plays "Stolen Moments," from the album Blues and the Abstract Truth, here:

Robert
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