Famous for his many collaborations with jazz musician Dave Holland, this world-class vibraphonist and marimba player is also known for his work with pianist Mulgrew Miller, drummer Lewis Nash and bassist Peter Washington.
He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in music from Rutgers University and later taught at Princeton University.
Between the late 1980s and the early 2000s, he contributed to nearly twenty albums, including Fuller Nelson (2004) and Prime Directive (1998).
He was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Saxophonist Bobby Watson contributed to Nelson's 1989 Live Session: Volume 1 recording.