The Blues and the Abstract Truth

The Blues and the Abstract Truth
1995 US CD issue/ Original LP cover
Studio album by Oliver Nelson
Released	August 1961 (1961-08) [1]
Recorded	February 23, 1961
Studio	Van Gelder Studio Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Genre	Post-bop [2]
Length	36:33
Label	Impulse!
Producer	Creed Taylor
Oliver Nelson chronology
Soul Battle (1960) The Blues and the Abstract Truth (1961) Straight Ahead (1961)
Alternate cover
Second LP cover/1990 US CD issue

Side one

No.	Title	Order of solos	Length
1.	"Stolen Moments"	Hubbard, Dolphy, Nelson, Evans	8:47
2.	"Hoe-Down"	Hubbard, Dolphy, Nelson, Haynes	4:43
3.	"Cascades"	Hubbard, Evans	5:32

Side two

No.	Title	Order of solos	Length
1.	"Yearnin'"	Dolphy, Hubbard, Evans	6:24
2.	"Butch and Butch"	Nelson, Hubbard, Dolphy, Evans	4:35
3.	"Teenie's Blues"	Dolphy, Nelson, Evans, Chambers	6:33

Personnel

• Freddie Hubbard – trumpet
• Eric Dolphy – alto saxophone; flute
• Oliver Nelson – tenor saxophone; alto saxophone on "Teenie's Blues"
• George Barrow – baritone saxophone
• Bill Evans – piano
• Paul Chambers – bass
• Roy Haynes – drums

Production

• Rudy Van Gelder – recording engineer
• Chuck Stewart – photography
• Pete Turner – cover design

Charts

Chart performance for The Blues and the Abstract Truth

Chart (2021)	Peak position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [16]	52
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [17]	74

References

1. Khan, Ashley (2007). The House That Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 44. ISBN   9780393330717.
2. Palmer, Richard (1990). "The Nelson Touch". Jazz Journal International . London: 10.
3. DownBeat : December 21, 1961, Vol. 28, No. 26.
4. Nastos, Michael G. "The Blues and the Abstract Truth: review" AllMusic. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
5. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide . USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. pp.  151. ISBN   0-394-72643-X.
6. Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0195313734.
7. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1070. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.
8. Oliver E. Nelson: Liner notes from Impulse! A-5, March 1961.
9. "Hard Bop Heaven: Oliver Nelson - "The Blues And The Abstract Truth". The Jazz Record. jazzrecord.com. 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
10. Shadwick, Keith (2007). "Oliver Nelson - The Blues & The Abstract Truth". Jazzwise Magazine. Mark Allen Group. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
11. The Music Aficionado (2018). "The Blues and the Abstract Truth, by Oliver Nelson". The Music Aficionado: Quality articles about the golden age of music. The Music Aficionado Blog. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
12. Colin Larkin, ed. (2006). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 134. ISBN   0-7535-0493-6.
13. Electra Records album number 6E-241.
14. Rob Tannenbaum (August 4, 2009). "Tasty! Steely Dan Brings the Guitar Solos, Male Ponytails". vulture.com. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
15. "Hasidic New Wave, Jews and the Abstract Truth". allmusic.com. Retrieved 16 April 2022. Jews and the Abstract Truth may owe little to Oliver Nelson, but it is a fine recording and an excellent introduction to the genre.
16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Oliver Nelson – The Blues and the Abstract Truth" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
17. "Swisscharts.com – Oliver Nelson – The Blues and the Abstract Truth". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 12, 2021.

External links

• The Blues and the Abstract Truth at vervemusicgroup.com
• "Album of the Week" discussion on the Organissimo jazz forum
• Bill Cunliffe's tribute to the original album (features new arrangements)
• The Blues and the Abstract Truth at discogs.com