The Blues and the Abstract Truth
| The Blues and the Abstract Truth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
1995 US CD issue/ Original LP cover | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 1961 | |||
| Recorded | February 23, 1961 | |||
| Studio | Van Gelder Studio Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey | |||
| Genre | Post-bop | |||
| Length | 36:33 | |||
| Label | Impulse! | |||
| Producer | Creed Taylor | |||
| Oliver Nelson chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternate cover | ||||
Second LP cover/1990 US CD issue | ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
"Teenie's Blues" (stereo mix)
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| DownBeat (Original Lp release) | |
| AllMusic | |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | |
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 (his second-to-last appearance on a Nelson album following a series of collaborations recorded for Prestige), Bill Evans (his only appearance with Nelson), 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.