Marty Krystall is a brilliant saxophonist who can emulate both Ben Webster and Eric Dolphy while still sounding like himself. Although he spent quite a few years in the studios, his jazz improvising skills have continued to develop and he is a very powerful player who also knows the value of space, subtlety and dynamics.
Herbie Nichols, a very original but much-neglected pianist and composer during his relatively brief lifetime, has been having his music discovered on a gradual basis during the past 25 years. Plays Herbie Nichols features Krystall (on tenor, bass clarinet and soprano), pianist Hugh Schick, bassist Jack Bone, drummer Barry Saperstein and occasionally violinist Brenton Banks performing six Nichols songs plus an adaptation of a Bizet work, “Suite From Carmen.” The latter piece has Schick switching to trumpet and Banks filling in on piano. The Nichols works generally feature picturesque themes, unusual lengths of choruses (try counting the bars in “Every Cloud”) and challenging chord changes that have their own original brand of logic.
Krystall, with his large tone and exuberant style, sounds as effortless on these complex pieces as Johnny Griffin did when he worked regularly with Thelonious Monk in 1958, ripping through the chord changes while adding wit and joy to the music.
Originally recorded in 1999 as the soundtrack to the video Marty Krystall Quartet Plus One (though some of the music differs from what is on the videocassette), the performances are exciting and well worth hearing.
It is easily recommended and available from www.k2b2.com.

– Scott Yanow

REVIEW FROM “AVANT FRONT”
http://avantfront.wordpress.com/2007/01/06/marty-krystall-plays-herbie-nichols-k2b2-3469/
BY JOAKIM MILDER 01/06/07
Marty Krystall, Plays Herbie Nichols (K2B2 3469)

This record is somewhat of a perfect storm for a bleeding heart like me. It features the compositions of neglected composer Herbie Nichols, whose life was cut short by leukemia before fame really came his way. It’s on a very independent label, which, according to Google Maps, is headquartered in somebody’s house. It was recorded directly to 2-track on a very expensive microphone. And it closes with “Suite from Carmen” arranged by Marty Krystall as a tribute to Nichols. What’s not to like?

Honestly, not much. The playing is at a high level, especially by the drummer, Barry Saperstein who fills the space with a hard-driving busy pulse, which, thanks to the Neumann USM-69, includes a visceral punch. Krystall, who plays tenor, soprano, and bass clarinet, is a player who is most interesting when he finds a clever phrase and carries it through the changes while daring Saperstein to push him somewhere else. The tunes are labyrinthine and quirky. Nichols’s writing is somewhat similar to Monk’s, but Nichols seems to leave more space for the rest of the band to participate in the heads, and the AllMusic guide lists Bartók and West Indian folk music as influences. I might not be sophisticated enough to pick that up, but the tunes are great fun. They will, with the time necessary for such cerebral compositions, get in your head.

The disc is not without its problems, however. The “Suite from Carmen” is an adventurous arrangement that steals the show. Perhaps the piece is more to my style than Nichols’s compositions. I find this the most compelling piece, and Krystall’s playing is best here, when he isn’t forced to fall back on bop conventions. The other caveat I have is with the sound, the instruments that do come in clear come in wonderfully. As they should with this type of set up. But, I think a little more attention needs to be paid to the violin and piano sound. They are both very distant in the recording, and with the philosophy behind the technique, nothing can be done with that after the recording is made. I think those problems needed to be dealt with in sound check. Perhaps they were, and this was the best outcome possible. If that is true, I would remove this quibble, as I admire the independent spirit and obvious dedication to this project. It is not often that one can be introduced to two first-class musicians on one recording, but Plays Herbie Nichols should promote wider exposure of both its leader and its subject. Two good things in my book. (This recording can be purchased directly from K2B2, or from Cadence)

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