The Blues And The Abstract Truth

Performer: Oliver Nelson
Artist: Bill Evans; Paul Chambers; Eric Dolphy; Freddie Hubbard; Roy Haynes
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Oliver Nelson (alto & tenor saxophones); Eric Dolphy (alto saxophone, flute); George Barrow (baritone saxophone); Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Bill Evans (piano); Paul Chambers (bass); Roy Haynes (drums). Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on February 23, 1961. Includes liner notes by Oliver Nelson. The late Oliver Nelson had such a successful career as a composer of film and TV music ("Theme From the Six Million Dollar Man") and arranger that it often overshadowed his abilities as a jazz musician. In 1961, Nelson assembled a fantastic small ensemble, including Eric Dolphy, Bill Evans, and Freddie Hubbard, for a session of six original compositions. Nelson was also an excellent, bluesy-toned saxophonist (heard here on tenor and alto) and his tunes cover a variety of moods, from the elegiac "Stolen Moments" to the wryly humorous, Aaron Copeland-like "Hoe-Down" to the rippling "Cascades." Dolphy's edgy, vocally inspired alto sound, the surging brassy tone of Hubbard's trumpet, and the swinging lyricism of Bill Evans make a potent combination, contributing to BLUES's status as a classic of post-bop jazz. Beautifully recorded and easily the best album of his career, which, early on, had included stints with Louis Jordan and Quincy Jones, and conducting and arranging for Jimmy Smith (notably `Walk On The Wild Side'). The personnel on this record is formidable and probably enhances the album's high standing - Eric Dolphy (alto and flute), Bill Evans (piano), Roy Haynes (drums), Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), George Barrow (baritone) and Nelson (alto, tenor and writer/arranger). Lush arrangements on tracks such as `Stolen Moments' are outstanding. It is hard to imagine that the man wholly behind this exceptional album was responsible for the Six Million Dollar Man television series theme.

JazzTimes (5/96, pp.74-75) - "You can afford only one Oliver Nelson album? This is the one. Why?....Because there are few perfect records. This is 36 1/2 minutes of perfection, an album as fresh as the day it was born 33 years ago. Long may it be reissued."

Oliver Nelson was known throughout the 1950s and '60s not only as a fine alto saxophonist, but also as one of the most creative arrangers and composers in jazz. His work ranged from small groups to big bands to orchestral ensembles and even film and television scores. His most well-known recording is the seminal BLUES AND THE ABSTRACT TRUTH, which contained the now-standard "Stolen Moments."

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