Has anyone see NR live? Were you as "blown away" as I was? Saw him last night at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia, Pa. I've never been so impressed with a saxophonist/flutist/picoloist (sp?)in my life. The man is simply the best I've ever heard and seen. He even whistles great! Please let me know what you think of him and his music. Thanks, Mh422

Hi,

I enjoyed Nelson's performance back in 1996 at Maui Music Festival. It was so fantastic!
I could see him perform in the twilight time just feeling the island breeze...I can never forget it. (I asked him to have his autograph...he was so kind.)

I heard someone said that he sounded too much like David Sanborn with nothing unique nor nothing cool, but I never agree with that. Nelson's songs are more emotional and all his sound (sax/flute/piccolo) have a power to make people really MOVE. I feel as if his instruments could TALK and SING.
I have all of his albums, and especially I love 'Always' and 'Turning Night into Day'.

BTW, do you know that Russ Freeman of the Rippingtons has produced one of his albums before? The album 'In Every Moment' is it and you can feel a little of Russ's taste in it, especially in the song 'All This Time'. One of my favorite song 'Someday' is also in the album.

Since Maui Music Festival, I have never had any chance to see Nelson, who seems to be touring for a very short time only in the U.S.
So now he is one of the artists whom I am eager to see as live in concerts.

I have had no chance to enjoy 'contemporary jazz' since Newport Beach jazz Festival in May, and now I really feel I have to charge my battery by listening to that kind of music as a live!!

Mayumi

Nelson Rangell gives his all to his audience, and then reaches deep and gives some more. I had the pleasure of seeing him in concert during his very first tour, playing his first larger venue, and it was very evident that he was just so happy to be there playing his music for us. I will never forget that particular concert or the way he connected with his audience. Please do not miss an opportunity to see him in concert-- you will never forget it either.

how is nelson rangell?

Do you mean how is Nelson doing? or whether we like his music?

I saw him twice last year and he sounded great. His CD of Christmas music came out in 2004 on Koch.

http://www.kochentertainment.com/nelson_rangell.htm

In concert, he mentioned that he would be releasing a CD of great American songbook standards.

http://www.smoothvibes.com/movabletype/archives/2004_05.html

I've got three of his "earlier" releases and like said above, he can play his butt off (as can Warren Hill...similar players in my mind). I think the release "Always" was by far his best as an overall disc. A little smooth, a lotta contemporary and I'm sure the great David Mann had much to do with it. The solo Nelson throws down on the song "24" is among the best and most memorable of any sax solo I have ever heard. Great stuff! After that, the "Far Away Day" release was a total disapointment to me. Far too light and whimsical.

Also, Nelson is one of the masters at belting out a ballad on that sax as good as anybody. "Grace", "I Will, I Do", "A House is Not a Home", etc. Those notes are coming from way down deep.

My issue with Nelson is that he seems to have an aversion to the DC Metro area. I wouldn't know how he sounds live, because I've never heard him play in person. Everyone else manages to make regular appearances here, except for Mr. Rangell. Hey Nelson! It's okay to play here! Come on over! We'll behave ourselves while you're here!

You should hear him whistle... seriously. He does tunes where he whistles at pitches that I can't sing - and he whistles like he's playing an instrument, it's perfect.

So if he comes to CT, will you be needing a ticket?

You're right. It is a great solo. I just got through listening to this tune again.

I have always thought he was one of the most underrated underpublicized artists in the genre.
Maybe he just doesn't really care for the "celebrity" thing. He is amazing onstage and just genuinely nice. I got to see him twice in '95. He opened for the Larry & Lee tour and played at the Clearwater Jazz festival which was Him, Acoustic Alchemy and Kevyn LEttau in one day!
I don't think he has been to Florida since then! The artists who come here often seem to come here often..the ones who stay away stay away with equal fervor..

Now Koz and Rangell are taking the show tune/standards/movie theme route. It's kind of ironic because this is basically the easy listening music we didn't want to grow up to listen to when our parents subjected us to their music years ago. I guess the market for original instrumental music is drying up so much that even our premiere artists have to do something else and hope it gets covered by Oprah, the early morning TV shows or NPR because that is a sure way to sell CDs and neither of those venues will support a pure smooth jazz project.

My favorite CDs are still "Yes, Then Yes" and "Truest Heart". Truest heart was pure CJazz, back then artists could push the boundaries a bit. The child on the cover is Kim Stone's daughter. Yes Then Yes is heavily influenced by the presence of Chuck Loeb and Mark Portmann and is a very strong collection of songs. If you want to hear the direction Smooth Jazz was going before it got sidetracked and pushed toward the elevator and waiting room listen to Yes Then Yes.
His Shanachie CDs had some excellent songs on them but to my ears didn't live up to the GRP stuff..I do think that was more a product of the times than the artist. Shanachie goes straight for the radio sound and when "Truest" and "Yes" were released there wasn't even such thing as the radio sound. By the time he signed with shanachie the radio sound was defined and written in stone.

One of the best NR albums (and by far one of the best SJ album) is To Begin Again. Great music. Features some cool writes from Jay Rowe...