Novembet 1995 Volume 62 - Number l l
Herbie Nichols ---- Love, Gloom, Cash, Love (Bethlehem 20-30112)
***
Buell Neidlinger -- Blue Chopsticks: A Portrait Of Herbie Nichols
(K2B2 3169)
****
Herbie Nichols (1919-1963) was a very original and neglected non-bebop modernist who lived in New York and played mostly with dixieland and swing-era artists. He made only six sessions as a leader; "Love, Gloom, Cash, Love" is his last-known recording, and it is not his best. (It should be mentioned, however, that the sound quality is uniformly exceDent, based on transfers from the original master takes.)
Stuck with an out of tune piano and having recorded many of his more accessible selections in better circumstances for Blue Note in 1955-56 (now sadly out of print), Nichols sounds clunky here. His solos reveal a strange mixture of Monk, Erroll Garner and Art Tatum, with melodic themes repeated, dissonant lines dropped in occasionally, chord' struck with a hard touch and many phrase ending glissandos a la Tatum. Some of his complex compositions, like "Portrait Of Ucha, and the title track, have a unique Iyricism. Others, such as "Argumentative," have a density that is difficult to penetrate. Still, this release is of unquestioned historical value.
Nichols' compositions, thorny as they were with their catchy twists and turns, were made for orchestration; indeed, the pianist often imagined his pieces played by horns and strings. Buell Neidlinger, who worked with the pianist, has taken the weightiness of his friend's work and both lightened it and given it zest with his unusual instrumentation. Blue Chopsticks packs punch, with all the instruments handling rhythm chores at one time or another. The album has a refreshing buoyancy, and a sense of verve and humor.
"Portrait Of Ucha" is now heard as a spirited German beer-hall piece, with Richard Greene's dancing violin backed by subtle horn howls while "The Gig" is done as a hoedown. The title tune has a rhythmic urgency, showcasing Marty Krystall's Webster-Rollins-Ayler tenor sax blend, which is uproarious but never brutal. Neidlinger's warm cello sparks "The Lady Sings The Blues," surely Nichols' best-known work. Hugh Schick's Bubber Miley-cum-Lester Bowie trumpet work adds flavor.
While hardly traditional fare, Blue Chopsticks is an exceedingly musical look at a deserving artist. –Zan Stewart
