Oliver Nelson Sextet - Screamin' The Blues (1960/2006/2014) [Official Digital Download]

Posterity remembers Oliver Nelson primarily as an arranger/conductor. When he first began to attract attention with a series of albums for Prestige and its subsidiaries, however, Nelson was hailed as a versatile leader of small groups and a composer/instrumentalist who could refresh the music’s traditional verities while also looking ahead. There is no better showcase for these skills among his initial sessions than "Screamin’ the Blues", a rousing set of funky modernism interpreted by a sextet of players who shared Nelson’s allegiance to both virtuosity and vision.

In 1956 Jackie McLean was only beginning to assert himself as a true individualist on the alto saxophone, exploring the lime-flavored microtones of his instrument that purists or the misinformed perceived as being off-key or out of tune. 4, 5 and 6 presents McLean's quartet on half the date, and tunes with an expanded quintet, and one sextet track – thus the title. Mal Waldron, himself an unconventional pianist willing to explore different sizings and shadings of progressive jazz, is a wonderful complement for McLean's notions, with bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Art Taylor the impervious team everyone wanted for his rhythm section at the time. The quartet versions of "Sentimental Journey," "Why Was I Born?," and "When I Fall in Love" range from totally bluesy, to hard bop ribald, to pensive and hopeful, respectively. These are three great examples of McLean attempting to make the tunes his own, adding a flattened, self-effaced, almost grainy-faced texture to the music without concern for the perfectness of the melody. Donald Byrd joins the fray on his easygoing bopper "Contour," where complex is made simple and enjoyable, while Hank Mobley puts his tenor sax to the test on the lone and lengthy sextet track, a rousing version of Charlie Parker's risk-laden "Confirmation." It's Waldron's haunting ballad "Abstraction," with Byrd and McLean's quick replies, faint and dour, that somewhat illuminates the darker side. As a stand-alone recording, 4, 5 and 6 does not break barriers, but does foreshadow the future of McLean as an innovative musician in an all-too-purist mainstream jazz world.

Tracklist:

01 - Screamin' The Blues
02 - March On, March On
03 - The Drive
04 - The Meetin'
05 - Three Seconds
06 - Alto-Itis

Produced by Esmond Edwards. Engineered by Rudy Van Gelder.
Recorded on May 17, 1960 at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
All transfers were made from the analog master tapes to digital at 24-bit resolution. Supervision by Esmond Edwards.
Remastered by Rudy Van Gelder at Van Gelder Studio in 2006.

Musicians:
Oliver Nelson - tenor saxophone, alto saxophone
Eric Dolphy - bass clarinet, alto saxophone
Richard Williams - trumpet
Richard Wyands - piano
George Duvivier - bass
Roy Haynes - drums

A Note From Rudy Van Gelder:
I was the engineer on the recording sessions and I also made the masters for the original LP issues of these albums. Since the advent of the CD, other people have been making the masters. Mastering is the final step in the process of creating the sound of the finished product. Now, thanks to the folks at the Concord Music Group who have given me the opportunity to remaster these albums, I can present my versions of the music on CD using modern technology. I remember the sessions well, I remember how the musicians wanted to sound, and I remember their reactions to the playbacks. Today, I feel strongly that I am their messenger.

Thanks to the Original customer!