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Oliver Nelson: Screamin' The Blues
The title track of this reissue, the longest at eleven minutes, allows the musicians a chance to stretch out. "Screamin' the Blues" grabs you from the very first bar and doesn't let go. Nelson proves he can play the blues with some serious feeling; Dolphy's bass clarinet offers a different, angular side. Richard Williams plays his usual tack-sharp trumpet here and throughout the album.
"March On, March On," the only non-Nelson composition, offers an interesting dichotomy between Nelson and Dolphy's alto saxophone playing. Stylistically, Nelson sounds more mainstream, in a hard bop mode, while Dolphy extends the bop sound into a freer realm. Despite this (or perhaps because of it), it seems to work. "The Meetin'" is reminiscent of Bobby Timmons' "Dis Here," with the churchy call and response that you would expect from such a number. The unison lines are reminiscent of what would later come out on Nelson's Blues and the Abstract Truth (Impulse!, 1961). "Alto-Itis" is a fairly boppish piece where Dolphy solos first, then Nelson follows.
All of the musicians seem to work well on Screamin' the Blues. I wish there was a little more room for them to blow, since the album tops out at just short of forty minutes.
Track Listing
Screamin' the Blues; March On, March On; The Drive; The Meetin'; Three Seconds; Alto-Itis.
Personnel
Oliver Nelson
saxophoneOliver Nelson: alto and tenor saxophones; Eric Dolphy: alto saxophone, bass clarinet, flute; Richard Williams: trumpet; Richard Wyands: piano; George Duvivier: bass; Roy Haynes: drums.
Album information
Title: Screamin' the Blues | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Prestige Records