Oliver Nelson - Meet Oliver Nelson (1959)

Cduniverse.com:
The interplay between Dorham and Nelson is laid-back and congenial, but always technically precise. Nelson, in particular, plays with a powerful lyricism that bears traces of Lester Young, yet his tone is fuller and brighter than Young's, and his vocabulary is markedly post-bop. There is fine playing all around, particularly on in-the- cut blues numbers ("Jams and Jellies") and up-tempo bop workouts ("Don't Stand Up"). An additional bonus--the sound on this excellent disc is polished to a high sheen, thanks to the engineering of Rudy Van Gelder.

Though largely remembered for his skills as an arranger, Oliver Nelson was also an accomplished tenor saxophonist. Nelson's debut album is a classic late-1950s bop date that features four of his originals and two ballads--Bob Haggart's "What's New?" and a sultry, smoky take on Billy Strayhorn's "Passion Flower." Flanked by a sharp rhythm section that includes Arthur Taylor on drums, Wendell Marshall on bass, and Ray Bryant on piano, Nelson puts his tenor chops on display and trades leads with trumpeter Kenny Dorham (who is playing at the top of his game here).

Allmusic.com:
Oliver Nelson's debut as a leader found him at the age of 27 already a distinctive and skilled tenor-saxophonist. For this quintet set (reissued on CD in the OJC series), Nelson teams up with the veteran trumpeter Kenny Dorham, pianist Ray Bryant, bassist Wendell Marshall and drummer Art Taylor for four of his originals plus the ballads "Passion Flower" and "What's New." Although none of these Nelson tunes caught on, this was an impressive beginning to a short but productive career and gives one a strong example of the multi-talented Nelson's tenor playing.

Personnel:
Oliver Nelson (tenor sax)
Kenny Dorham (trumpet)
Ray Bryant (piano)
Wendell Marshall (bass)
Art Taylor (drums)

Tracks:
1. Jams And Jellies (7:03)
2. Passion Flower (6:51)
3. Don't Stand Up (3:44)
4. Ostinato (5:31)
5. What's New? (6:53)
6. Booze Blues Baby (6:32)

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