Oliver Nelson & Lem Winchester

Takin' Care of Business + Lem's Beat (2 LP on 1 CD)

Fresh Sound Records

Personnel:
Oliver Nelson (as & ts), Lem Winchester (vib) Johnny 'Hammond' Smith (org), Roy Johnson, Billy Brown (p), George Tucker, Wendell Marshall (b), Roy Haynes, Art Taylor (d)

Reference: FSRCD 735

Bar code: 8427328607353

Although his later fame as a composer and arranger overshadowed his instrumental skills, Oliver Nelson (1932-1975), was a formidably distinctive performer on alto and tenor saxophones. He demonstrated this conclusively on his earliest albums as leader, none more so than on the aptly named 'Takin Care Of Business,' where, playing mostly alto, he displays a rich purity of tone, a direct, uncluttered attack, and a beautiful singing projection.

On All the Way he opens with a gemlike unaccompanied solo, beautifully controlled and precise, but he also displays his power with urgent, vibrant solos on Groove and Trane Whistle. Lem Winchester has a secondary role, but contributes several fine vibraphone solos, while organist Johnny 'Hammond' Smith is mostly used to lay a background cushion.

On Lem Winchesters 'Lem's Beat' album, the vibist joined forces with a luminously performing Nelson (this time on tenor only) and Curtis Peagler on alto. Lem's ballad work on Friendly Persuasion has clarity and restraint, but he shows his fire on Your Last Chance and Just Friends. Nelson, too, plays superbly in these tunes, revealing different aspects of his playing in each. Pianists Billy Brown and Roy Johnson are capable performers, while Art Taylor and Wendell Marshall stoke the fires throughout Nelson's arrangements.



01. Trane Whistle (Oliver Nelson) 9:54
02. Doxy (Sonny Rollins) 6:56
03. In Time (Oliver Nelson) 5:30
04. Lous Good Dues (Oliver Nelson) 6:16
05. All the Way (Cahn-Van Heusen) 7:32
06. Groove (Oliver Nelson) 6:26
07. Eddys Dilemma (Oliver Nelson) 11:38
08. Lem and Aid (Oliver Nelson) 7:57
09. Friendly Persuasion (Tiomkin-Webster) 4:09
10. Your Last Chance (Oliver Nelson) 6:50
11. Just Friends (Lewis-Klenner) 5:17

Album details

Sources:
Tracks #1-6, from Oliver Nelson's "Takin' Care of Business" (Prestige/New Jazz 8233)
Tracks #7-11, from Lem Winchester's "Lems Beat" (Prestige/New Jazz 8239)

Personnel on #1-6:
Oliver Nelson, alto and tenor sax; Lem Winchester, vibes; Johnny Hammond Smith, organ; George Tucker, bass; Roy Haynes, drums
Recorded in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., March 22, 1960

Personnel on #7-11:
Curtis Peagler, alto sax; Oliver Nelson, tenor sax; Lem Winchester, vibes; Roy Johnson or Billy Brown (on #7 & 10), piano; Wendell Marshall, bass; Art Taylor, drums
Recorded in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., April 19, 1960

Original recordings supervised by Esmond Edwards
Recording engineer: Rudy Van Gelder

Compiled for CD release by Jordi Pujol
Stereo · 24-Bit Digitally Remastered
_______________________________________________________________________________
Note:
The tune 'Lady Day,' which originally appeared on Lems Beat did not fit in this compilation, but has been included on the 2-CD set "With Feeling" (FSRCD 737)

Press reviews

"The Oliver Nelson Takin Care of Business album is simply one of the best albums in his discography, showcasing as it does his prowess on both alto and tenor saxophones, a sadly neglected aspect of his far to short career. He is in full creative flow throughout on the half a dozen tunes, four of which are his own, emphasising his penchant for the blues, a strong thread running through so much of his lifes work despite his formal training. He is isolated during the theme statements, the others adding appropriate fills and adding some pretty meaty solos of their own to complement their leaders bold and incisive contributions.

The order of the day is to swing, both collectively and individually, no shirkers being in evidence. Winchester displays his Jackson-inspired approach with the mallets, Smith is everything one could ask of an organ man and the Tucker/Haynes axis are the very tasty marzipan underneath the icing. If you dont tap your feet to this one, then the blood has simply stopped coursing through your veins.

The Winchester record had similar values to hang onto, Nelson this time acting as a sideman, paired up front in an alto duo with Curtis Peagler. Once again the group is a well-integrated proposition, Winchester giving enough of himself to suggest that he had a great future ahead of him - a future that would sadly never materialise. Both horn men acquit themselves admirably and once again the rhythm section cannot be faulted. In essence these are two uncomplicated examples of early 60s modern jazz, both carrying the qualities of superior music making."

Peter Gamble (February, 2013)
More at www.jazzjournal.co.uk
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"Lem Winchester, one of the most promising figures in jazz, was a Wilmington, Delaware, policeman who left the force to become a full-time musician in. He was on his way to becoming a certifiable star when he shot himself while, some say, playing Russian Roulette, and died at the age of 33 in 1961. Winchester plays on Nelson's quintet date of 1960, Takin Care of Business (1960), which also featured the organ of Johnny "Hammond" Smith, highlighted by an early version of Nelson's "Trane Whistle." Winchester was headed toward individuality on vibes, as something of a combination of Milt Jackson's soulfulness and the swinging fire and velocity of Terry Gibbs. Part two of this CDboth originally Prestige releasesis a Winchester-led session called Lem's Beat (1960), where Nelson served as a featured sideman."

Bruce Klauber (January 8, 2013)
All About Jazz

Takin' Care of Business + Lem's Beat (2 LP on 1 CD)
  • New Jazz NJLP8233
    New Jazz NJLP8233
  • New Jazz NJLP8239
    New Jazz NJLP8239
  • Oliver Nelson
    Oliver Nelson
  • Lem Winchester
    Lem Winchester
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10,95 €  (tax incl.)

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