Programming on Jazz 91.9 WCLK is made possible in part by support from The Suite Food Lounge, 375 Luckie Street in Downtown Atlanta across from The Georgia Aquarium. This Thursday, November 3 JazzBeat Promotions presents Jazz Saxophonist Nelson Rangell. Doors open at 6:30pm, with dinner and Jazz from Nelson Rangell at 7:30pm. More information including reservations can be found at JazzBeat Promotions, eventbrite.com, or by calling 404-577-2500.
Nelson Rangell has primarily played pop-jazz throughout his career, although he did a credible job playing some soulful alto with the straight-ahead GRP All-Star Big Band. The records he cut for GRP in the early '90s made him into a popular contemporary jazz attraction in the David Sanborn tradition.
A native of Denver, CO, Rangell learned how to play flute at the age of 15, and within six months, he was studying music at the Interlochen Arts Academy. Shortly afterward, he learned the saxophone, and in 1979 he won Down Beat's Best High School Jazz Soloist competition. Following his graduation from high school, he attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston; this time, he won the Down Beat contest on the college level. In 1984, Rangell moved to New York. He spent three years in New York playing clubs and working as a sideman, not only on jazz sessions, but also on jingles and pop records.