Customer Reviews

Straight Ahead

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"Straight Ahead" is the third and final collaboration between tenor saxophonist and noted arranger Oliver Nelson, and iconoclastic reedman Eric Dolphy. The first was Nelson's "Screamin' The Blues" also on the Prestige label, and the second was the famous "Blues and the Abstract Truth," recorded for Impulse a week earlier than "Straight Ahead." On March 1, 1961 Nelson and Dolphy went into the studio for the third time, along with Richard Wyands on piano, George Duvivier on bass and Roy Haynes on drums. Five of the album's six tunes are Nelson originals ("Ralph's New Blues is a Milt Jackson composition), with "Images" and the title-track the standouts. The results were magical on this session, but not quite as impressive as the Impulse date. All the same, fans of Nelson and Dolphy will enjoy plotting this course "Straight Ahead."

Oliver Nelson has always gotten what little respect seems to be available for jazz composers. However, his playing is often not mentioned and this is unfortunate. Listening to Mr. Nelson's solos is to get a glimpse into the process of composition. In Mr. Nelson's solos there is a level of logic and compositional thought occurring that is rare in jazz. Thinking of other players in whom this trait is evident, Sonny Rollins comes to mind. Oliver Nelson lacks the technical wizardry of Mr. Rollins, but in some ways that makes it even easier to hear his thought processes.

That being said, Mr. Nelson probably wouldn't make for a very interesting album on his own, but he more than makes up for it by playing alongside Eric Dolphy. The contrast in this case is delightful. Where Nelson restrains himself, Dolphy let's fly with his trademark flurries of notes and very vocal style.

The rest of the band is strong too, providing a very solid base for the soloists, and navigating their way through the superb compositions with aplomb. Roy Haynes' drum work is particularly noteworthy here. It's sad that this album is not better known, because it has all the elements of a classic, great composition, a strong appreciation for the blues and a diverse collection of brilliant soloists backed by an outstanding band.

Most of the other reviewers here said it right. I'm a huge Oliver Nelson and Eric Dolphy fan and this is a great album. It's not as great as "Screamin' the Blues" or "Blues and the Abstract Truth" which I feel are flawless, but this is a must have CD for many reasons. If you love either Nelson or Dolphy, that's reason enough. Great performances throughout, and for you audiophiles out there, the recording quality is very good.

I'll start by saying that this is not the issue of Straight Ahead that I own. I have this as part of the Eric Dolphy Complete Prestige box-set that I reviewed here however many years ago, which was remastered more recently than this issue. So, my review is just on the performance and the quality of the album, not the sound.

I love this album! It will always stand in the shadow of Blues & the Abstract Truth because unlike Abstract, this album isn't packed full of as many of the big names in jazz, but don't let that fool you. This is also a classic album.

There are times here where Dolphy swings like a demented circus performer, and Nelson is (as usual), dripping with blues and soul. The tunes are great and the performances milk every last drop of loveliness out of them. This is one of those albums where I tend to think that no jazz collection could be considered complete without it.

At first glance I didn't think this front line would work. Certainly Eric Dolphy's slashing frenetic style of playing would not work well with Oliver Nelson's more mainstream bluesy approach. But not only does it work, it works very well indeed thank you. At times it's fascinating to compare the two styles; at other times it's amazing how well they compliment each other. One is also reminded what an adventurous musician Nelson was. Another treat is hearing Dolphy on bass clarinet, an instrument not heard much in jazz. And while we're discussing treats.....a big treat here are Nelson's compositions especially the mysterious "Images" and the bluesy "Six and Four." Richard Wyands contributes some smooth piano work while bassist George Duvivier and drummer Roy Haynes hold everything together. Duvivier's presence is especially interesting to me. Somehow I think of him as being more of a mainstream player performing with the likes of Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster. It just goes to show what a versatile player he was!

This was the sixth of eight Prestige family of albums Nelson recorded (March 1961). As with all his work for the label, these are solid performances. The up-tempo STRAIGHT AHEAD might be the highlight of the CD, while the medium-slow blues (the only blues piece on the album) is also excellent. All the tunes are originals (typical for a Nelson recording session), and all are distinctive. The rhythm section [Richard Wyands (p) George Duvivier (b) Roy Haynes (d)] is solid and Dolphy is, well, Dolphy. (I liked him a tad better on the SCREAMIN' THE BLUES Prestige album with Nelson and a lot better on THE BLUES AND THE ABSTRACT TRUTH.) A very nice album.

One of a host of consistently brilliant recordings for "New Jazz." "Images" features one of his prettiest bass clarinet solos.