Biography
One of his era's most respected vibraphonists, Steve Nelson has earned acclaim for an inventive, harmonically fluid style within post-bop jazz. He first surfaced during the 1970s by extending the lineage established by Milt Jackson and Bobby Hutcherson while performing alongside such figures as Kenny Barron, Donald Brown, and James Spaulding; he has also remained a longstanding participant in bassist Dave Holland's quartet. As a bandleader, Nelson has released several trio and small-group recordings, among them 1987's Communications, 2004's Fuller Nelson, and 2017's Brother's Under the Sun.
Born in Pittsburgh in 1954, Nelson began studying the vibraphone at age 15 after a school friend's father, George A. Monroe, introduced him to the instrument. A steelworker by day, Monroe also performed skillfully in the Milt Jackson idiom and supplied Nelson with foundational jazz lessons while initiating his piano studies. Intent on pursuing jazz, Nelson left high school and, by the early 1970s, was working regularly in Pittsburgh alongside such local musicians as drummers Roger Humphries and J.C. Moses, trumpeter Tommy Turrentine, saxophonists Eric Kloss and Nathan Davis, and guitarist Jerry Byrd. After several years there, he relocated to New Jersey, sharing a home with his brother while seeking engagements near New York. During this time he sat in at an outdoor Rutgers University concert with faculty members pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Larry Ridley, and drummer Ted Dunbar; impressed, the faculty assisted Nelson's admission to the university's emerging jazz curriculum, from which he ultimately earned both a degree and a master's.
While attending the school, Nelson sustained his performing career. He made his first recorded appearance in 1976 on James Spaulding's Plays the Legacy of Duke Ellington and remained active through the early 1980s alongside Barron, David "Fathead" Newman, Bobby Watson, and additional artists. Nelson's initial leader date, 1987's Communications on Criss Cross, featured Mulgrew Miller, Ray Drummond, and Tony Reedus, though he continued chiefly as a sideman on sessions with Miller, Donald Brown, Geoff Keezer, and others. His second recording under his own name, Full Nelson, appeared in 1989 with Drummond and pianist Kirk Lightsey. Throughout the 1990s Nelson established himself within bassist Dave Holland's ensembles, contributing to albums such as 1995's Dream of the Elders and 1998's Points of View. He resumed leading with 1999's New Beginnings, again employing Miller along with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington.
In the early 2000s Nelson maintained his association with Holland while participating in notable sessions with David Hazeltine, Barbara Dennerlein, Mike LeDonne, Eric Reed, and others. His own Fuller Nelson followed in 2004, again presenting the vibraphonist in a trio setting with pianist Lightsey and bassist Drummond. He reunited with pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Lewis Nash for 2007's Sound-Effect and, around the same period, appeared on recordings by David "Fathead" Newman, Karrin Allyson, Louis Hayes, and additional artists. In 2017 Nelson released Brothers Under the Sun with pianist Danny Grisset.
Born in Pittsburgh in 1954, Nelson began studying the vibraphone at age 15 after a school friend's father, George A. Monroe, introduced him to the instrument. A steelworker by day, Monroe also performed skillfully in the Milt Jackson idiom and supplied Nelson with foundational jazz lessons while initiating his piano studies. Intent on pursuing jazz, Nelson left high school and, by the early 1970s, was working regularly in Pittsburgh alongside such local musicians as drummers Roger Humphries and J.C. Moses, trumpeter Tommy Turrentine, saxophonists Eric Kloss and Nathan Davis, and guitarist Jerry Byrd. After several years there, he relocated to New Jersey, sharing a home with his brother while seeking engagements near New York. During this time he sat in at an outdoor Rutgers University concert with faculty members pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Larry Ridley, and drummer Ted Dunbar; impressed, the faculty assisted Nelson's admission to the university's emerging jazz curriculum, from which he ultimately earned both a degree and a master's.
While attending the school, Nelson sustained his performing career. He made his first recorded appearance in 1976 on James Spaulding's Plays the Legacy of Duke Ellington and remained active through the early 1980s alongside Barron, David "Fathead" Newman, Bobby Watson, and additional artists. Nelson's initial leader date, 1987's Communications on Criss Cross, featured Mulgrew Miller, Ray Drummond, and Tony Reedus, though he continued chiefly as a sideman on sessions with Miller, Donald Brown, Geoff Keezer, and others. His second recording under his own name, Full Nelson, appeared in 1989 with Drummond and pianist Kirk Lightsey. Throughout the 1990s Nelson established himself within bassist Dave Holland's ensembles, contributing to albums such as 1995's Dream of the Elders and 1998's Points of View. He resumed leading with 1999's New Beginnings, again employing Miller along with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington.
In the early 2000s Nelson maintained his association with Holland while participating in notable sessions with David Hazeltine, Barbara Dennerlein, Mike LeDonne, Eric Reed, and others. His own Fuller Nelson followed in 2004, again presenting the vibraphonist in a trio setting with pianist Lightsey and bassist Drummond. He reunited with pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Lewis Nash for 2007's Sound-Effect and, around the same period, appeared on recordings by David "Fathead" Newman, Karrin Allyson, Louis Hayes, and additional artists. In 2017 Nelson released Brothers Under the Sun with pianist Danny Grisset.
Albums
