Straight Ahead | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1961 | |||
Recorded | March 1, 1961 | |||
Studio | Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs | |||
Genre | Jazz, hard bop | |||
Length | 36:53 | |||
Label | New Jazz NJ 8255 | |||
Producer | Esmond Edwards | |||
Oliver Nelson chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Down Beat | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Straight Ahead is a jazz studio album by saxophonist Oliver Nelson. It features acclaimed musicians such as Eric Dolphy on sax, clarinet and flute (his last appearance on a Nelson album following a series of collaborations recorded for Prestige), and Roy Haynes on drums. It was recorded in March 1961 at the celebrated Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs. All the pieces were first takes; Joe Goldberg recalls: "The session was scheduled for one in the afternoon and I arrived at 3:30, thinking that by then the music would have been rehearsed and the men would be starting to play. What I found was a studio empty of everyone but A&R man Esmond Edwards", the supervisor, "and engineer Rudy Van Gelder, who were packing up to leave and looking very satisfied." Released in 1961 for the Prestige/New Jazz label (as NJ 8255) and remastered in 1989, the album is notable for its long and thoughtful horn duets by Dolphy and Nelson. Don DeMicheal described the album "All in all, a warm, very human record". [5]
In the original liner notes, Joe Goldberg talks about some of the tracks in the album: "Six and Four" is so named because the piece shifts from 6/4 to 4/4. "Mama Lou" is named for Nelson's older sister, a teacher in St. Louis. Nelson stated that his sister was "one of those people who displays two different moods" and that he "tried to capture them both." Last but not least, "111-44" was so named because of an address number, the one from which Nelson had just moved.
All pieces by Oliver Nelson, unless otherwise noted.
Eric Allan Dolphy Jr. was an American jazz alto saxophonist, bass clarinetist and flautist. On a few occasions, he also played the clarinet and piccolo. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gain prominence around the time that he was active. His use of the bass clarinet helped to establish the instrument within jazz. Dolphy extended the vocabulary and boundaries of the alto saxophone, and was among the earliest significant jazz flute soloists.
Impressions is an album of live and studio recordings by jazz musician John Coltrane, released by Impulse! Records in July 1963.
The Blues and the Abstract Truth is an album by American composer and jazz saxophonist Oliver Nelson recorded in February 1961 for the Impulse! label. It remains Nelson's most acclaimed album and features a lineup of notable musicians: Freddie Hubbard, Eric Dolphy, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers and Roy Haynes. Baritone saxophonist George Barrow does not take solos but remains a key feature in the subtle voicings of Nelson's arrangements. The album is often noted for its unique ensemble arrangements and is frequently identified as a progenitor of Nelson's move towards arranging later in his career.
Oliver Edward Nelson was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. His 1961 Impulse! album The Blues and the Abstract Truth (1961) is regarded as one of the most significant recordings of its era. The centerpiece of the album is the definitive version of Nelson's composition, "Stolen Moments". Other important recordings from the early 1960s are More Blues and the Abstract Truth and Sound Pieces, both also on Impulse!.
Point of Departure is a studio album by American jazz pianist and composer Andrew Hill, recorded in 1964 and released in 1965 on the Blue Note label.
Outward Bound is a jazz album by Eric Dolphy, released in 1960. His first album as leader, it is somewhat less adventurous and more oriented towards straight bebop than the majority of his later recordings. The album was recorded at Van Gelder Studio in New Jersey and features trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, who shared living space with Dolphy for a time when they both first arrived in New York. The cover features artwork by Dolphy's friend Richard "Prophet" Jennings.
Africa/Brass is the eighth studio album by jazz musician John Coltrane, released on September 1, 1961 on Impulse! Records, catalogue A-6. The sixth release for the fledgling label and Coltrane's first for Impulse!, it features Coltrane's working quartet augmented by a larger ensemble to bring the total number of participating musicians to 21. Its big band sound, with the unusual instrumentation of French horns and euphonium, presented music very different from anything that had been associated with Coltrane to date.
Out There is a studio album by jazz musician and composer Eric Dolphy, released by Prestige Records in September 1961. It was Dolphy's second album released as band leader, following his time with Charles Mingus.
Reincarnation of a Lovebird is a studio album by American jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus, recorded in November 1960.
Far Cry is a jazz album by musician Eric Dolphy with trumpeter Booker Little, originally released in 1962 on New Jazz, a subsidiary of the Prestige label. Featuring their co-led quintet, it is one of the few studio recordings of their partnership. It is also one of the earliest appearances of bassist Ron Carter on record. Dolphy took part in Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz session before recording this album on the same day. He had participated in the recording of Jazz Abstractions the previous day.
Domination is an album by jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley released on the Capitol label featuring performances of by Adderley with an orchestra conducted by Oliver Nelson. The CD release added the bonus track "Experience in E" composed by Joe Zawinul and originally released on the 1970 album The Cannonball Adderley Quintet & Orchestra.
Afro/American Sketches is a jazz album by Oliver Nelson recorded in late 1961 and released in 1962. It is his first big band album as a leader.
Here and There is a jazz album by multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy. It was originally released in 1966 on the Prestige label as PRLP 7382. It contains tracks recorded on three separate dates, in separate locations. Mal Waldron's "Status Seeking" and Dolphy's solo bass clarinet version of Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" were recorded on July 16, 1961 at the Five Spot in New York City as part of the concert that was documented on the At the Five Spot recordings. "April Fool" and "G.W. " were recorded on April 1, 1960 at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey as part of the session that yielded Outward Bound, Dolphy's first album as a leader. "Don't Blame Me" was recorded on September 6, 1961 in Berlingske Has, Copenhagen, Denmark during Dolphy's second European tour, as part of the sessions that produced Eric Dolphy in Europe Volumes 1-3.
Screamin' the Blues is an album by American saxophonist Oliver Nelson, originally released in 1961 on New Jazz Records.
Trane Whistle is an album by saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis' Big Band with arrangements by Oliver Nelson and Ernie Wilkins recorded in 1960 and released on the Prestige label.
Soul Street is an album by saxophonist Jimmy Forrest compiled from four different sessions between 1960 and 1962 and released on New Jazz Some tracks appear as CD bonus tracks on other CDs but this is the only album on which the Big Band tracks appear.
Taking Care of Business is the second album by saxophonist Oliver Nelson recorded in 1960 and released on the New Jazz label.
Where? is the debut album by bassist Ron Carter recorded in 1961 at Van Gelder Studio and released on the New Jazz label. Some reissues of the album appear under Eric Dolphy's name.
Mingus in Europe Volume I is a live album by jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus recorded in 1964 in Germany and first released on the Enja label in 1980.
The Sound of Feeling is a jazz album featuring two separate groups featuring Oliver Nelson recorded in late 1966 and released on the Verve label. The split album begins with five tracks by the Los Angeles based group The Sound of Feeling, featuring identical twin vocalists Alyce and Rhae Andrece and pianist Gary David with the addition of soloist Nelson. Four tracks are by the Encyclopedia of Jazz All Stars, a big band drawn from the ranks of top New York studio musicians, arranged and conducted by Nelson which were recorded to accompany Leonard Feather's Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Sixties.