Oliver Nelson: Teenie's Blues

In this blues-based cooker, which may have been dedicated to saxophonist Tina Brooks, Ben Tucker's walking bassline carries the memorable melody on its hard-charging way, ably anchored by the beat of pacemaker Grady Tate. After Patti Bown's soulful blues-tinged leadoff piano solo, Oliver Nelson's tenor solo wails with expression and originality. Once again, Nelson demonstrates his artistry at arranging his coterie of horns so as to create his distinctive trademark sound, so compelling here. While the melody is certainly memorable, the orchestration and playfully discordant unison playing by Woods and Nelson make this worthwhile. There is little wonder why Oliver found writing for the movies so appealing, since his compositions all make use of the drama that can be created by carefully arranged brass and woodwinds. That was his special gift.