LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

The series delivers classic and rare albums from this renowned label. All are taken from original source tapes with bonus material if available. They feature the original artwork and new sleeve notes.

An excellent saxophonist, Oliver Nelson was even better-known as an arranger and his work for others tends to overshadow his own recordings. He worked with a host of names including James Brown, Jimmy Smith and Diana Ross as well as composing the music for such well-known TV shows as Ironside and The Six Million Dollar Man. His best-known album was 1961’s “The Blues And The Abstract Truth”, recorded for Impulse.

In the early 70s, busy with TV and film work, he was signed to Flying Dutchman and  recorded a series of albums, including this one, at the 1971 Montreux Festival. One side is the title track, written especially for the Festival, while the other saw has him revisiting three of older cuts: ‘Blues & The Abstract Truth’, ‘Black Brown & Beautiful’ and ‘Stolen Moments’.

The backing is provided by an all-star band that includes such luminaries as Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Gato Barbieri, Charles Tolliver and Bernard Purdie.

track listing

1.    SWISS SUITE
2.    STOLEN MOMENTS
3.    BLACK BROWN & BEAUTIFUL
4.    BLUES & THE ABSTRACT TRUTH