Oliver Nelson has always been one of my favorite saxophonists. i heard him the first time on the record Blues And The Abstract Truth, the classic from the Impulse catalogue. i was always struck by how ordered his solos sound, as if every note were intentional. but he always tempered his keen compositional logic with a healthy dose of blues phrasing, inventive articulation and SOUND. he reminds me of Thelonius Monk for those reasons. “Six And Four” is a song from a session called Straight Ahead. Oliver shares the front line with Eric Dolphy, a master who in some ways, was his antithesis as a soloist. Nelson plays four choruses. the 1st and 3rd are in 6/4 with the rhythm section playing a vamping figure. the 2nd and 4th choruses are in 4/4 offering a release and contrast to the tension generated in the preceding choruses. Nelson offers many examples of his motivic approach to improvisation.
Solo starts at1:15.