The Complete Blue Note Recordings

Nichols, Herbie

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Inside a Brilliant (and Neglected) Compositional Mind

Even in jazz, where tragic stories are a dime a dozen, the career of Herbie Nichols (1919–1963) stands out. The pianist and composer was around during the early days of bebop; his approach solidified at the same jam sessions where Thelonious Monk threw down. But Nichols, a loner, had bills to pay, and spent most of his time working in Dixieland and traditional jazz groups around New York, rarely performing his own music. He recorded three trio albums for Blue Note in 1955 and 1956 and was quickly dropped—due to the fact that hardly anyone bought his records. After a few scattered other projects, including another trio date for Bethlehem Records, Nichols pretty much gave up. He died at age 44, suffering from leukemia.

Only after his death did jazz musicians begin to appreciate the crystalline logic of his compositions. The Complete Blue Note Recordings argues for Nichols as a lost major figure—the author of some of the most thoughtful, unorthodox piano trio music of the '50s. Nichols wrote an estimated 170 tunes. Most of them are highly ordered sets of short motifs, with phrases that acquire power as he moves them around the keyboard. Nichols had his own language, drawn from percussive outbursts (he favored the hard attack possible on upright pianos), complex sequences, and fast-moving harmony. His pieces follow elaborate winding paths. Though a technical wizard, he never used facility as a crutch; he prized melodic development far more than whiz-bang soloing.

The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz describes Nichols's career as "plagued by bad luck and obscure groups." True enough. But those who discover Nichols usually treasure him—for the spry intellectual challenges and whimsical nature of his music. He's the rare instance where the contribution is actually more compelling than the Hollywood tale of its tragic creator.

Genre: Jazz
Released: 1997, Blue Note
Key Tracks: "House Party Starting," "Double Exposure," "Blue Chopsticks."
F.Y.I.: The excellent Four Lives in the Bebop Business by A. B. Spellman profiles altoists Jackie McLean and Ornette Coleman, and pianist Cecil Taylor as well as Herbie Nichols.
Catalog Choice: Love, Gloom, Cash, Love
Next Stop: Sonny Clark: Cool Struttin'
After That: Andrew Hill: Point of Departure
Book Pages: 550–551