Oliver Nelson

The Profile

Oliver Nelson (May 4, 1932 – October 28, 1975) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger, best known for The Blues and the Abstract Truth and the composition "Stolen Moments."

Born in St. Louis; recognized especially as a composer/arranger; worked on film orchestrations (the review mentions his orchestrations for Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris performed by Gato Barbieri); Nocturne was recorded in August 1960 at Rudy Van Gelder's studio; The Blues and the Abstract Truth was recorded a few months later and features "Stolen Moments".

The available review praises Oliver Nelson's strengths as a composer/arranger and highlights Nocturne as a precursor to The Blues and the Abstract Truth. It notes Nelson's lyricism on saxophone and his work for film. The review rates Nocturne 3/5 while arguing Nelson remains underappreciated.