Herbie Nichols "The Prophetic" Vol. 1 & 2 LPs (Japan)
$
80
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Description
Baron Elmo proudly presents a vinyl treasure trove of jazz piano mastery from one of the tragically obscure greats, musician/composer HERBIE NICHOLS: The Prophetic Herbie Nichols Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, a gorgeous pair of discs originally released by Blue Note in 1955 as a pair of 10-inch records, here reissued as two full-sized long-players by the Japanese Toshiba-EMI label.
Herbie Nichols was an incredibly talented pianist and composer who died in 1963 at the age of 44, after years of artistic neglect. He always seemed on the verge of breakthrough, but it never happened – he was nearly unknown when he died. He made three albums for Blue Note and one for Bethlehem, but they made almost zero impact at the time. Nichols made his living in settings sadly unsuited to his brilliance: playing in Dixieland bands, backing up greasy R & B tenor players, playing cocktail piano gigs.
The lack of regard from his peers and the jazz public seemed to be due to the fact that his music just didn’t sound like what modern jazz was supposed to. Herbie's compositions were unusual, oddly structured, and highly detailed. They had wonderful titles: “House Party Starting,” “Blue Chopsticks,” Cro-Magnon Nights,” “Amoeba’s Dance.” When he improvised on them, his playing was often based on the melody more than on the chords. His style fell somewhere between Teddy Wilson and Thelonious Monk, if you can imagine that. His touch and oblique approach are also reminiscent of Andrew Hill. But in the final analysis, Herbie Nichols didn’t sound like anyone but himself.
Although his originals were often quite orchestral in nature, Nichols only had the opportunity to record in a trio format; the sessions on these albums (twelve songs total, a mere three per lp side) feature Al McKibbon on bass and the immortal Art Blakey on drums. The pieces, all Herbie originals, are virtually unclassifiable, and although largely straight-ahead, sounds unlike anything produced by his contemporaries. Magnificent, essential music. And the unbeatable combination of short lp sides and Japanese vinyl means that every note, every instant of these sessions will sound better than you could ever imagine. Gorgeous artwork from Martin Craig completes the package.
Currently, the Herbie Nichols catalogue seems to be in utter neglect: Blue Note has nothing in print, in the States or anywhere else.
Both these lps are in impeccable, near-mint condition, and in fact seem to never have been played at all. The covers are flawless as well -- no splits, bent corners, gouges or ring wear. The only minus is that the obis are missing; otherwise, these seem to have just been removed from the original wrapping.
A $4.00 shipping charge will be added to the winning total for shipment in the USA, $8.00 to Canada and Mexico, $16.00 to anywhere else in the world. Thanks for the visit – hope to hear from you soon!
Track listing
Volume 1
The Third World
Step Tempest
Dance Line
Blue Chopsticks
Double Exposure
Cro-Magnon Nights
Volume 2
Amoeba's Dance
Crisp Day
2300 Skiddoo
It Didn't Happen
Shuffle Montgomery
Brass Rings
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