IMPORTANT: Copies will be shipped after April, 20th
CREDITS:
Recorded February 23, 1961
Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, USA - Recording Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder
Original session produced by Creed Taylor - Originally released Impulse! Records © (August 1961)
Remastered Hemiolia’s Stereo Edition by Pietro Benini (March 2026)
Some albums define an era; others seem to float outside of time. This month, we are proud to add an absolute crown jewel of the Impulse! catalog to our reel-to-reel collection: Oliver Nelson’s "The Blues and the Abstract Truth" (1961).
As Nelson himself wrote in the original liner notes:
"The blues can be many things - a feeling, a mood, a musical form. In this album, I have tried to explore not just the structure, but the very essence of that language."
This exploration was made possible by the technical vision of Rudy Van Gelder, who captured these sessions at his legendary Englewood Cliffs studio. Van Gelder often remarked:
"The goal was not just to record instruments, but to capture the air vibrating around them."
Why this Tape Edition is Essential:
- A Dream Line-up: Freddie Hubbard, Eric Dolphy, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, and Roy Haynes. An all-star band performing with almost telepathic cohesion.
- The Listening Experience: Every track on this album is a study in jazz perfection. By combining Pietro Benini’s expert remastering with the raw power of magnetic tape, we have preserved the 'Van Gelder sound' with unprecedented clarity. It is a rare opportunity to hear the 'vibrating air' of the 1961 sessions just as Rudy Van Gelder captured it.
| TRACKLIST | ||
| Reel One | ||
| 1 | STOLEN MOMENTS (Hubbard, Dolphy, Nelson, Evans) |
- |
| 2 | HOE-DOWN (Hubbard, Dolphy, Nelson, Haynes) |
- |
| 3 | CASCADES (Hubbard, Evans) |
- |
| Total Length Reel | - | |
| Reel Two | ||
| 1 | YEARNIN (Dolphy, Hubbard, Evans) |
- |
| 2 | BUTCH AND BUTCH (Nelson, Hubbard, Dolphy, Evans) |
- |
| 2 | TEENIE'S BLUES (Dolphy, Nelson, Evans, Chambers) |
- |
| Total Length | - | |
| Reel one + reel two length: | - | |
Technical Notes:
In collaboration with ERMITAGE DISTRIBUTION.
All the Master Tapes born from the collaboration with Ermitage Distribution are produced using Production Masters as a source (First Generation) in stereo, 2 tracks - 1/4”
