Steve Nelson Quartet

Steve Nelson appears exclusively at the club for his only UK concert during a EU tour. His first gig in the UK as a band leader for a long while, Steve was an integral part of Dave Holland’s band for many years. Aswell as projects with Kenny Barron, Donald Brown, Geoff Keezer and Kirk Lightsey. Steve Nelson was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1954. He began on piano but was already playing the vibraphone as a teenager. He graduated from Rutgers University and had important early musical experiences playing with guitarist Grant Green and altoist James Spaulding, making his recording debut with Spaulding on an album of Duke Ellington songs in 1976. Inspired by Milt Jackson, Nelson was already a major vibraphonist by the early 1980s. During that decade he worked for several years with tenor-saxophonist David “Fathead” Newman and recorded with Newman, altoist Bobby Watson, pianists Kenny Barron, Mulgrew Miller, Donald Brown and Geoff Keezer, guitarist Ted Dunbar, bassist Ray Drummond and drummers Lewis Nash and Tony Reedus. He also made his first recordings as a leader. Since that time Nelson has been in great demand. The list of greats with whom he has recorded include altoists Jackie McLean, Antonio Hart and Steve Wilson, tenor-saxophonists Johnny Griffin, Chris Potter and Houston Person, trumpeters Jeremy Pelt and Jim Rotondi, pianists James Williams, Kevin Hays, Kenny Drew Jr. Mike LeDonne, Eric Reed, Renee Rosnes, David Hazeltine, Bruce Barth, and Cyrus Chestnut, guitarists Ed Cherry and Dave Stryker, and drummer Louis Hayes. In addition, he toured with the George Shearing Quintet and was a significant part of several groups led by Dave Holland including the bassist’s quintet and big band. Back in the 1980s, such giants of the vibes as Lionel Hampton, Red Norvo, Milt Jackson, Terry Gibbs, Bobby Hutcherson, and Gary Burton were quite active and inspiring forces. Decades later, Nelson almost stands alone as a veteran great from his generation, inspiring such younger players as Stefan Harris, Warren Wolf, and Joel Ross.