Nelson Patton is a Nashville-based instrumental duo composed of Dave Nelson and Marlon Patton. Blending ambient minimalism, jazz, polyrhythmic composition, and orchestral textures, the duo creates a rich, genre-defying sound. Since forming in 2013, they have developed a distinctive voice through trombone, drums and electronics—crafting immersive, improvisation-driven sonic landscapes.
Their discography—an EP and three full-length albums—charts their evolving musical language. A standout feature of their debut album was a collaboration with visionary artist Lonnie Holley, whose vocals helped forge an enduring creative partnership. Their work on Holley’s 2018 LP "Mith" garnered critical acclaim, appearing on numerous year-end best-of lists. The short film for their track "I Snuck Off the Slave Ship" premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
Onstage, Nelson Patton frequently performs as Holley’s touring band, bringing their dynamic sound to festivals and venues across the globe, including Le Guess Who? (Utrecht), LA’s Broad Museum Summer Happenings, the Melbourne Jazz Festival, and a national tour with Animal Collective. Most recently, the duo collaborated with composer Paola Prestini on Ancient City, a non-visual film score released on VIA (VisionIntoArt) Records.