Nelson's Stolen Moments

[porcy62]

I wake up this morning with Stolen Moments' melody in my mind. I know that is on Nelson's The Blues and.., I've got it on a Zappa's record too. I am pretty sure I've got it on somewhere else, any suggestions? My memory is worsening every day a bit.

[Niko]

I wake up this morning with Stolen Moments' melody in my mind. I know that is on Nelson's The Blues and.., I've got it on a Zappa's record too. I am pretty sure I've got it on somewhere else, any suggestions? My memory is worsening every day a bit.

on Lockjaw Davis - Trane Whistle (arranged by Nelson...) is the first version iirc

[porcy62]

I wake up this morning with Stolen Moments' melody in my mind. I know that is on Nelson's The Blues and.., I've got it on a Zappa's record too. I am pretty sure I've got it on somewhere else, any suggestions? My memory is worsening every day a bit.

on Lockjaw Davis - Trane Whistle (arranged by Nelson...) is the first version iirc

Thanks! So I've got it on Dolphy's Prestige set.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Oliver re-recorded it for East Wind, in 1975. Issued in the US on Inner City.

The other members of the band were

Bobby Bryant - tp, flg

Jerome Richardson - picc, fl, sops

Buddy Collette - fl, ts

Bobby Bryant Jr - fl, ts (I think this was his first recording)

Jack Nimitz - bars

Mike Wofford - p, el p

Chuck Domanico - el b

Shelley Manne - d

I love that session. Thanks for reminding me.

MG

[porcy62]

I am asking myself why isn't it became a standard, it's such a beautiful tune. Maybe some musicians over here can give a more technical explanation.

[kh1958]

I have four versions of the song on my ipod, in addition to the Oliver Nelson version.

Roots/Stablemates

Jack Wilson Quartet/Ramblin'

Booker Ervin/ Structurally Sound

Ahmad Jamal/The Awakening.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I am asking myself why isn't it became a standard, it's such a beautiful tune. Maybe some musicians over here can give a more technical explanation.

Dunno what your standard is for a standard, Porcy, but AMG gives 119 recordings of "Stolen moments". They're not all the Oliver Nelson tune, but most are.

(Is this going to work?)

p=amg&sql=17:1466032

(no)

Reminded me that I also have Sonny Criss' version, on "The joy of sax".

MG

[JSngry]

I consider it a standard in the sense that it's a tune that everybody knows.

As to why it's not a "jam session favorite" or anything like that, probably the same reason why more Mingus tunes aren't - a lot of cats are lazy and want shit they can get the head out of the way of so they can begin to solo. This is a tune that calls attention to istself as a composition, and the form of the tunes is not the solo form, what with the extended thing at the end.

Now as for who else has covered it, three come to mind immediately - Herbie Mann (live at Newport,with a classic early Chick Corea solo), Booker Ervin (on Structurally Sound) & Mark Murphy (on Muse, with some YMMV lyrics, in a version that was quite imaginatively remixed by Japan's United Future Organization)..

And for the BFD file, I transcribed the original voicings and used them for a "brass section only" arranging class assignment back in the day. The transcription was a lot trickier than I thought it was going to be, and was a real eye/ear opener about how much was really going on with Oliver and how he moved his inner voicing. I had the lead line, and the bari line (which was a helluva lot more mobile than I thought it was going to be) was fairly easy to pick up, it being on the bottom and all, but getting those inner parts was a real challenge!

But looking at AMG, it appears that there have been a respectable amount of covers of this tune. However, I gotta think that the fact that the BATAT version is just so freakin' iconic that a ot of people have probably looked at it and thought, "hey...what else you gonna do with that one?"

[porcy62]

I consider it a standard in the sense that it's a tune that everybody knows.

As to why it's not a "jam session favorite" or anything like that, probably the same reason why more Mingus tunes aren't - a lot of cats are lazy and want shit they can get the head out of the way of so they can begin to solo. This is a tune that calls attention to istself as a composition, and the form of the tunes is not the solo form, what with the extended thing at the end.

Now as for who else has covered it, three come to mind immediately - Herbie Mann (live at Newport,with a classic early Chick Corea solo), Booker Ervin (on Structurally Sound) & Mark Murphy (on Muse, with some YMMV lyrics, in a version that was quite imaginatively remixed by Japan's United Future Organization)..

And for the BFD file, I transcribed the original voicings and used them for a "brass section only" arranging class assignment back in the day. The transcription was a lot trickier than I thought it was going to be, and was a real eye/ear opener about how much was really going on with Oliver and how he moved his inner voicing. I had the lead line, and the bari line (which was a helluva lot more mobile than I thought it was going to be) was fairly easy to pick up, it being on the bottom and all, but getting those inner parts was a real challenge!

But looking at AMG, it appears that there have been a respectable amount of covers of this tune. However, I gotta think that the fact that the BATAT version is just so freakin' iconic that a ot of people have probably looked at it and thought, "hey...what else you gonna do with that one?"

Thanks. About "standard" I obviously mean a tune often played by jazz musicians, I mean that Monk's compositions are much more often played then Stolen Moments, but they are not exactly "standard", but you're right, this is definitely not a "jam session favorite" for the reasons you fully explained.

And thanks to everybody, I've Booker's Structurally Sound, and Jamal's Awakening, so my memory is not such bad.

Edited September 23, 2007 by porcy62

[Kalo]

Years ago, there was a jazz DJ in Boston who used "Stolen Moments" as his theme song and played a different version every night, it seemed.

Still, of all the versions I've heard, none beats the one on BATAT.

Edited September 23, 2007 by Kalo

[Head Man]

You're right, this is a lovely tune.

In addition to the versions mentioned above I have it by JJ Johnson and Grover Washington Jr. plus another version by Oliver Nelson on 'Swiss Suite'.

I didn't know it was on the Booker Ervin - Structurally Sound' album. That's one I'll put on my 'to get' list.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

You're right, this is a lovely tune.

In addition to the versions mentioned above I have it by JJ Johnson and Grover Washington Jr. plus another version by Oliver Nelson on 'Swiss Suite'.

I didn't know it was on the Booker Ervin - Structurally Sound' album. That's one I'll put on my 'to get' list.

I didn't know Grover Washington had recorded it. What album is that on?

MG

[kinuta]

Oliver re-recorded it for East Wind, in 1975. Issued in the US on Inner City.

The other members of the band were

Bobby Bryant - tp, flg

Jerome Richardson - picc, fl, sops

Buddy Collette - fl, ts

Bobby Bryant Jr - fl, ts (I think this was his first recording)

Jack Nimitz - bars

Mike Wofford - p, el p

Chuck Domanico - el b

Shelley Manne - d

I love that session. Thanks for reminding me.

MG

That's an excellent version and a really good cd.

Good luck finding a copy though .

[BFrank]

I've got a Flying Dutchman 2-LP Nelson collection called "A Dream Deferred". It has a live version from Montreux in 1971.

The 25 piece ensemble includes: Nelson (alto), Pretty Purdie (dr), Stanely Cowell (p), Ch Tolliver (t) and many other lesser-knowns.

I think the Mark Murphy's interpretation is a great version, as well.

[BFrank]

BTW, what's the deal with Garnett Brown's "Bachafillin" which has a nearly identical opening? I have versions of this by the Jones/Lewis Orchestra and also Booker Ervin.

[Head Man]

You're right, this is a lovely tune.

In addition to the versions mentioned above I have it by JJ Johnson and Grover Washington Jr. plus another version by Oliver Nelson on 'Swiss Suite'.

I didn't know it was on the Booker Ervin - Structurally Sound' album. That's one I'll put on my 'to get' list.

I didn't know Grover Washington had recorded it. What album is that on?

MG

It's on 'Then and Now' from 1988 on Columbia.

[marcello]

Joe Locke & Kenny Barron do a duo version on:

[brownie]

Phil Woods recorded a couple of beautiful renditions of the Nelson theme including the 1968 version with his European Rhythm Machine on the Pathé label which was reissued severalyears ago by EMI.

[GARussell]

I first heard it on Herbie Mann's Standing Ovation at Newport with Chick Corea.

I don't think I appreciated how popular it was until I heard Mark Murphy's recording on the radio when that album came out.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

You're right, this is a lovely tune.

In addition to the versions mentioned above I have it by JJ Johnson and Grover Washington Jr. plus another version by Oliver Nelson on 'Swiss Suite'.

I didn't know it was on the Booker Ervin - Structurally Sound' album. That's one I'll put on my 'to get' list.

I didn't know Grover Washington had recorded it. What album is that on?

MG

It's on 'Then and Now' from 1988 on Columbia.

Thanks Guv.

MG

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Oliver re-recorded it for East Wind, in 1975. Issued in the US on Inner City.

The other members of the band were

Bobby Bryant - tp, flg

Jerome Richardson - picc, fl, sops

Buddy Collette - fl, ts

Bobby Bryant Jr - fl, ts (I think this was his first recording)

Jack Nimitz - bars

Mike Wofford - p, el p

Chuck Domanico - el b

Shelley Manne - d

I love that session. Thanks for reminding me.

MG

That's an excellent version and a really good cd.

Good luck finding a copy though .

Where's the smiley for "smiles smugly"?

MG

[JSngry]

Oliver re-recorded it for East Wind, in 1975. Issued in the US on Inner City.

The other members of the band were

Bobby Bryant - tp, flg

Jerome Richardson - picc, fl, sops

Buddy Collette - fl, ts

Bobby Bryant Jr - fl, ts (I think this was his first recording)

Jack Nimitz - bars

Mike Wofford - p, el p

Chuck Domanico - el b

Shelley Manne - d

I love that session. Thanks for reminding me.

MG

That's an excellent version and a really good cd.

Good luck finding a copy though .

Where's the smiley for "smiles smugly"?

MG

Inner City released a licensed version in America that might be easier to find.

[randyhersom]

Betty Carter and Carmen McRae recorded it together!

[porcy62]

This is the reason I love this Forum, more accurate and friendly then Google. I love you guys.

[Tom in RI]

Jimmy and Doug Raney play Stolen Moments on a Steeplechase release of the same name.