OLIVER NELSON - Black, Brown And Beautiful (2023 Reissue) - LP - Gatefold 180g Vinyl

LP - Limited Edition 180g Vinyl. Replicates the original high-quality Gatefold sleeve of the original. Has not been reissued on vinyl since the original 1970 US pressing. 

“Black, Brown And Beautiful” has never been reissued on vinyl since the original 1970 US pressing. So, more than half a century after its release, Ace Records are delighted to offer it to jazz collectors and fans worldwide.

Originally released in 1970, “Black, Brown and Beautiful” saw legendary composer and arranger Oliver Nelson musically address the state of black America in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King. Tracks like ‘Requiem’, ‘Lamb Of God’ and ‘Martin Was A Man, A Real Man’ directly address the passing of King, whereas ‘Self Help Is Needed’ and ‘I Hope In Time A Change Will Come’ orchestrally and passionately ask questions that still remain unanswered today. Indeed, Nelson, writing about the track ‘Self Help Is Needed’ stated “I have always felt that the Federal Government wasn’t going to do a damn thing and American Blacks were going to have to do it themselves. However, you can’t have a foot on your neck making it impossible for you to help yourself. That seems logical – doesn’t it?” Sadly, those words still hold true today.

Musically, this is a sumptuous, almost big band, banquet with Nelson himself talking the soprano sax solo on the aching ‘I Hope In Time A Change Will Come’. Those who are fans of classic Nelson albums like “The Blues And The Abstract Truth” (1961) and the equally polemical “The Mayor And The People” (1971) will find much to enjoy here. 

Tracklist:

Side One
1. Aftermath
2. Requiem
3. Lamb Of God
4. Martin Was A Man, A Real Man

Side Two
1. Self-help Is Needed
2. I Hope In Time A Change Will Come
3. 3, 2, 1, 0
4. Black, Brown And Beautiful
5. Requiem, Afterthoughts