1966 · Album
Oliver Nelson Plays Michelle
Recorded 1966 · Impulse! · Personnel: [Oliver Nelson] (saxophone, composer), [Phil Woods] (alto saxophone)
Nelson and Woods on Slight Material
Short tunes, likable solos, nothing pretentious—a modest pairing that works because both men play straight.
Oliver Nelson Plays Michelle arrived in 1966 without fanfare or critical acclaim. Douglas Payne's AllMusic review summed up the album's modest ambitions plainly: short, often corny tunes and brief, likable solos. That assessment stuck, and the record has remained peripheral in Nelson's discography—never a selling point, never rediscovered by later musicians, just a mid-catalog entry that served its commercial purpose and faded. What's worth hearing is exactly what Payne identified: the lack of pretension. Nelson and Phil Woods tackle material that makes no apologies for being straightforward pop-song conversions. These aren't standards, aren't blues vehicles, aren't vehicles for deep introspection. They're melodies that needed horn players, and Nelson brought Woods in to deliver clean, unhurried solos over sensible arrangements. Woods is particularly good here—his alto cuts through with warmth rather than aggression, and he doesn't overreach. Nelson himself sounds engaged without needing to prove anything. The album is exactly the size it means to be. It's not a landmark recording and doesn't deserve to be. But if you're already interested in Nelson's work and want a session where two capable musicians simply play well together without strain, this is easier to spend time with than records that promise more than they deliver.
Who's playing
Bob Cranshawbass
Richard Davisbass
Hank Jonespiano
Billy Butlerguitar
Al Lucaselectric guitar
Barry Galbraithguitar
Danny Bankbaritone saxophone
Oliver Nelsonsaxophone
Romeo Penquealto flute, tenor saxophone
Phil Woodsalto saxophone
Jerome Richardsonflute, tenor saxophone
Clark Terryflugelhorn, trumpet
Snooky Youngflugelhorn, trumpet
Joe Newmantrumpet
Grady Tatedrums
Bobby Rosengardenpercussion
Where next?
More by Oliver Nelson
The Blues and the Abstract Truth 1961
More Blues and the Abstract Truth 1961
Skull Session 1975
Taking Care of Business 1960
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
