Abstract Truth & Blues – MO Big Band

The album ‘The Blues & The Abstract Truth’ was recorded in February of 1961 and released on the Impulse! label. Without a doubt it’s the most important album of composer/saxophone player OLIVER NELSON (1932-1975).

It stands for Nelson’s breakthrough as a highly individual jazz composer and now, over 50 years after the release, it’s still a remarkably fresh sounding album with a very personal and unique approach of the blues in the post be-bop era.

An important ingredient of this legendary recording was the all-star band that Nelson (alto & tenor saxophone) had invited to the studio:
• Bill Evans – piano
• Paul Chambers – bass
• Roy Haynes – drums
• Freddie Hubbard – trumpet
• Eric Dolphy – flute, alto saxophone
• George Barrow – baritone saxophone

Jörg Achim Keller made a remake of the album for big band, originally written for the orchestra of the Hessischer Rundfunk and alto saxophonist Vincent Hering in 2011. It brings a modern, new version of this classic jazz album for big band, but without affecting the magic of the original version.

Keller has used the individual solo’s on the album as a basis for his big band arrangements and was inspired by Oliver Nelson’s own remakes for big band.

Of course, the album will be performed in the same order as the original LP. This new version of ‘The Blues & The Abstract Truth’ is much more than a recreation of the original recordings. Every bar of Keller’s arrangement is an homage to this maestro of jazz: Oliver Nelson!