Richard Nelson 5tet

If you’ve heard any pedal steel guitar swells on any Irish country tracks over the past 30 years, chances are it was Richard Nelson’s skilfully crafted lines that permeated the somewhat generic sound of that particular genre. Richard is the guy that everyone has heard but no one has heard of (outside of the top-tier level of Irish musicians). His credits include Van Morrison and Paul Brady, but his discography is even more impressive. When asked how many albums he has played on, he smirked ‘I gave up counting after it got past 1,200.’ A typical answer from a modest, yet quietly confident Ulsterman with an exceptionally droll sense of humour. It is on this album, his 3rd foray into jazz that Nelson’s jazz credentials are codified. The dexterity with which he tackles ‘Giant Steps’ is truly remarkable. This tune with its frantic tempo and alternating modulations is not to be attempted (if you have any respect for Coltrane) until one has truly spent a considerable amount of time studying jazz, but Nelson’s version showcases his impeccable timing, tuning and acuity. Kenny Burrell’s ‘Midnight Blue’ sounds as smooth and slick as Rudy Van Gelder’s original recording. The title track, Jobim’s classic Chega De Saudade (No More Blues), highlights the musicians’ seamless transition to a classic bossa nova groove. Charlie Parker’s ‘Donna Lee’ is given its due respect and Bob Berg’s ‘Friday Night at the Cadillac Club’ bounces along with a consistency that Whiplash’s Fletcher would find to be “…quite my tempo”. Featuring an all-star cast of top Irish and international session musicians from Scotland to the US, and recorded, mixed and mastered by the legendary Philip ‘The Beg’ Begley (Riverdance, Planxty, Christy Moore), Nelson has delivered a stunning sounding album. Crisp yet gritty and the selection of tunes demonstrates just how far he has brought a ‘country’ instrument into the jazz mainstream. Pedal Steel Guitar is here to stay as a jazz instrument and on this island, it is due to the Herculean efforts of Richard Nelson’s patience, practice, persistence, precision and vision.