Happy 75th to Oliver Nelson

[ghost of miles]

Composer's Datebook actually devoted their module to him today... wish he were still around. From the abstract blues to the black, brown and beautiful!

[Teasing the Korean]

I love "Skull Session."

[JSngry]

Geez, he was only 43 when he died. Started playing professionally at 15, so that's a 28 year career whose "profile" didn't begin to reacht the main stage until 1959, when he was 27. The man made a helluva lot of music for recorded consumtpion in 16 years, not all of it "essential" by any means, but damn...

43 is "too young" for anybody to die, but hey...it happens, right? Let the record show that Oliver Nelson unambiguously carpe diemed like a mofo, and even if doing so minght have been a part of what killed him (stories abound of his willingness to tackle a superhuman workload and of his ability to complete it, on schedule), oh well.

Still, you gotta wonder what he had that he didn't get a chance to get to (literally and metaphorically), as well as if he ever would have slowed down long enough to get to it. No matter - maximum love for Oliver Nelson quite often in reality, and always in principle.

[Christiern]

Don't mean to nit-pick, but how "happy" can a birthday be when you're no longer among the living?

[sheldonm]

I'm going to see Oliver's son play this Saturday night. A great guy, fine musician and fun to talk to. If anyone has a question that they have always wanted to know, let me know and I'll ask.

Mark~

[Teasing the Korean]

I'm going to see Oliver's son play this Saturday night. A great guy, fine musician and fun to talk to. If anyone has a question that they have always wanted to know, let me know and I'll ask.

Mark~

I'd LOVE to know about the status of his TV soundtracks, and if any of these might ever be released.

EDIT: Even if they can't be released for contractual reasons, I'd like to know if his family at least has the isolated scores of any of these shows on tape.

Edited June 5, 2007 by Teasing the Korean

[sheldonm]

I'm going to see Oliver's son play this Saturday night. A great guy, fine musician and fun to talk to. If anyone has a question that they have always wanted to know, let me know and I'll ask.

Mark~

I'd LOVE to know about the status of his TV soundtracks, and if any of these might ever be released.

EDIT: Even if they can't be released for contractual reasons, I'd like to know if his family at least has the isolated scores of any of these shows on tape.

Thanks, I'll ask him and get back with you.

m~

[ghost of miles]

Don't mean to nit-pick, but how "happy" can a birthday be when you're no longer among the living?

Well... birthday greetings sent with love and respect, to the memory and legacy of a departed musician.

You know, Jim, it's hard to say what Nelson might have done if he had lived beyond 43... he might well have continued being sucked into the lucrative maw of Hollywood, or he might have broken free, as J.J. Johnson did. I'm just grateful for what he did manage to leave behind.

[Teasing the Korean]

Thanks, I'll ask him and get back with you.

m~

Much appreciation.

[JSngry]

You know, Jim, it's hard to say what Nelson might have done if he had lived beyond 43... he might well have continued being sucked into the lucrative maw of Hollywood...

Well, the downside of that is obvious, but the upside is that many of his ideas/sounds/whatever would have continued to subliminally infiltrate the mainstream's ear, and that the definition what "sounds wierd" to the Average Joe might have gotten stretched just a little. Or not. Like you siad, who knows?

But hey, if you're into film scores on their own terms, sheck this one out:

[Alon Marcus]

I just saw that there are two versions of his "Black, Brown and Beautiful".

Is there anybody familiar with those records?

[JSngry]

The one on Flying Dutchman, with the naked lady on the cover, is one of the best albums he ever did. Perhaps even the best, all things considered. But that's arguable, to be sure.

The one on Bluebird is a collection of some of his other Flying Dutchman stuff, and is a darn good collection. Lots/most of the material on it is from 3 Shades of Blue, which was a collaboration with Johnny Hodges & Leon Thomas.

[Alon Marcus]

The one on Flying Dutchman, with the naked lady on the cover, is one of the best albums he ever did. Perhaps even the best, all things considered. But that's arguable, to be sure.

The one on Bluebird is a collection of some of his other Flying Dutchman stuff, and is a darn good collection. Lots/most of the material on it is from 3 Shades of Blue, which was a collaboration with Johnny Hodges & Leon Thomas.

Thanks Jim.