''Full Nelson'' is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

album by

Oliver Nelson Oliver Edward Nelson (June 4, 1932 – October 28, 1975) 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 signifi ...

recorded in 1962 and 1963, and released on Verve Records. It is one of his first

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

albums.''Full Nelson'' at Discogs
/ref> Nelson has also arranged his ''Hoe Down'', originally based on an

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...

composition, which initially appeared in a septet version on '' The Blues and the Abstract Truth'', in a driving big band arrangement that features

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948–51), Duke ...

Reception

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' magazine critic

Harvey Pekar Harvey Lawrence Pekar (; October 8, 1939 – July 12, 2010) was an American underground comic book writer, music critic, and media personality, best known for his autobiographical ''American Splendor'' comic series. In 2003, the series inspired a ...

wrote that, "Nelson's alto work is featured on ''Full Nelson'', ''Skokiaan'', and Leonard Bernstein's ''Cool''. He plays fluently and melodically with a somewhat harder tone than he has used in the past. ''Back Woods'' is a humorous piece, dedicated to

Phil Woods Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer. Biography Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began ...

and spotlighting his biting alto playing."

Track listing

''All tracks composed by Oliver Nelson, unless otherwise noted.'' #"Full Nelson" – 2:47 #"

Skokiaan "Skokiaan" is a popular music, popular Melody, tune originally written by Zimbabwean musician August Msarurgwa, August Musarurwa (d. 1968, usually identified as August Msarurgwa on record labels) in the Tsaba-tsaba big band-style that succeeded M ...

" (Msarurgwa, Glazer) - 1:54 #"Miss Fine" - 4:11 #"Majorca" - 3:06 #"Cool" (

Bernstein Bernstein is a common surname in the German language, meaning "amber" (literally "burn stone"). The name is used by both Germans and Jews, although it is most common among people of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage. The German pronunciation is , but in E ...

, Sondheim) - 4:55 #"Back Woods" - 3:32 #"Lila's Theme" (

Goldsmith A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), pl ...

) - 3:55 #"Ballad for Benny" - 2:36 #"Hoe Down" - 2:50 #"Paris Blues" ( Ellington) - 2:57 #"

What Kind of Fool Am I? "What Kind of Fool Am I?" is a popular song written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley and published in 1962. It was introduced by Anthony Newley in the musical ''Stop the World – I Want to Get Off''. It comes at the end of Act Two to close ...

" (Newley, Bricusse) - 3:51 #"You Love But Once" - 4:31

Personnel

- arranger, conductor, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone *

George Duvivier George Duvivier (August 17, 1920 – July 11, 1985) was an American jazz double-bassist. Biography Duvivier was born in New York City, the son of Leon V. Duvivier and Ismay Blakely Duvivier. He attended the Conservatory of Music and Art, where ...

(1, 2, 8, 9),

Milt Hinton Milton John Hinton (June 23, 1910 – December 19, 2000) was an American double bassist and photographer. Regarded as the Dean of American jazz bass players, his nicknames included "Sporty" from his years in Chicago, "Fump" from his time on the ...

(all others) - bass *Phil Kraus - celesta, vibraphone (5, 6, 11, 12) *

Ed Shaughnessy Edwin Thomas "Ed" Shaughnessy (January 29, 1929 – May 24, 2013) was a swing music and jazz drummer long associated with Doc Severinsen and a member of The Tonight Show Band on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Biography Shaughn ...

(1, 2, 8, 9),

Osie Johnson James "Osie" Johnson (January 11, 1923, in Washington, D.C. – February 10, 1966, in New York City) was a jazz drummer, arranger and singer. Johnson studied at Armstrong Highschool where he was classmates with Leo Parker and Frank Wess. He fir ...

(all others) - drums *Ray Alonge (1, 2, 8, 9),

Bob Northern Robert Northern (May 21, 1934 – May 31, 2020), known professionally as Brother Ah, was an American jazz French hornist. Life and career Born in 1934 in Kinston, North Carolina and raised in The Bronx, Northern studied at the Manhattan School ...

(1, 2, 8, 9) - French horn *

Jimmy Raney James Elbert Raney (August 20, 1927 – May 10, 1995) was an American jazz guitarist, born in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, known for his work from 1951 to 1952 and then from 1953 to 1954 with the Red Norvo trio (replacing Tal Farlow) and ...

(1, 2, 8, 9), Jim Hall (all others) - guitar *Harry Brewer - marimba, Castanets (3, 4, 7, 10) *

Al Cohn Al Cohn (November 24, 1925 – February 15, 1988) was an American jazz saxophonist, arranger and composer. He came to prominence in the band of clarinetist Woody Herman and was known for his longtime musical partnership with fellow saxophonist Zo ...

Danny Bank Daniel Bernard Bank (July 17, 1922 – June 5, 2010) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and flautist. He is credited on some releases as Danny Banks. He was born on July 17, 1922. Early in his career Bank played with Charlie Barnet ...

, George Dorsey,

Jerome Richardson Jerome Richardson (November 15, 1920 – June 23, 2000) was an American jazz musician, tenor saxophonist, and flute player, who also played soprano sax, alto sax, baritone sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, alto flute and piccolo. He played with Ch ...

, Gerry Dodgian ic (1, 2, 8, 9), Phil Bodner (5, 6, 11, 12),

, Romeo Penque (3, 4, 7, 10), Stan Webb - reeds *Paul Faulise,

Willie Dennis Willie Dennis (née William DeBerardinis, January 10, 1926 – July 8, 1965) was an American jazz trombonist known as a big band musician but who was also an excellent bebop soloist. Career After working with Elliot Lawrence, Claude Thor ...

Rod Levitt Rodney Charles Levitt (September 16, 1929 in Portland, Oregon – May 8, 2007 in Wardsboro, Vermont) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, and bandleader. Levitt studied composition at the University of Washington, where he took his BA i ...

(1, 2, 8, 9),

Quentin Jackson Quentin "Butter" Jackson

, Urbie Green, Tony Stud (1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12),

Jimmy Cleveland James Milton Cleveland (May 3, 1926 – August 23, 2008) was an American jazz trombonist born in Wartrace, Tennessee.

(1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12) - trombone *

- trumpet, flugelhorn (1, 2, 3, 8, 9) *

Bernie Glow Bernie Glow (February 6, 1926 – May 8, 1982) was an American trumpet player who specialized in jazz and commercial lead trumpet from the 1940s to 1970s. Glow's early career was on the road with Artie Shaw, Woody Herman and others during the las ...

Ernie Royal Ernest Andrew Royal (June 2, 1921 in Los Angeles, California – March 16, 1983 in New York City) was a jazz trumpeter. His older brother was clarinetist and alto saxophonist Marshal Royal, with whom he appears on the classic Ray Charles big ban ...

Snooky Young Eugene Edward "Snooky" Young (February 3, 1919 – May 11, 2011) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known for his mastery of the plunger mute, with which he was able to create a wide range of sounds. Biography Young was lead trumpeter of th ...

, Jimmy Maxwell (1, 2, 8, 9), Joe Newman - trumpet

References

{{Authority control 1963 albums Oliver Nelson albums Verve Records albums