Herbie Nichols bio

[Nate Dorward]

Just ran into the jazz writer Mark Miller on Tuesday at a Michiel Braam gig down at the Rex; I was interested to learn that his next book's due out soon, a biography of Herbie Nichols. I'm greatly looking forward to this: knowing Mark, it'll be thorough, pithy & carefully researched. He said that he'd dug up a lot more of Nichols' journalism and other writings (including a lot of poetry--he didn't think it was very good but it of course has a lot of inherent interest nonetheless). There's a 2nd piece on Monk apparently, aside from the famous one that is frequently quoted. Anyway, it's due out from Mercury Press sometime later this year (though their site seems not to have any mention of this).

[ghost of miles]

Just ran into the jazz writer Mark Miller on Tuesday at a Michiel Braam gig down at the Rex; I was interested to learn that his next book's due out soon, a biography of Herbie Nichols. I'm greatly looking forward to this: knowing Mark, it'll be thorough, pithy & carefully researched. He said that he'd dug up a lot more of Nichols' journalism and other writings (including a lot of poetry--he didn't think it was very good but it of course has a lot of inherent interest nonetheless). There's a 2nd piece on Monk apparently, aside from the famous one that is frequently quoted. Anyway, it's due out from Mercury Press sometime later this year (though their site seems not to have any mention of this).

Wow--thanks for the heads-up, Nate. I was just thinking about Herbie the other day and how good it would be to read a fullblown bio of him... will keep an eye out for this one.

[fkimbrough]

Mark sent me a copy of the manuscript, and I think it's quite good. He's obviously done a tremendous amount of careful research, and the book will be an important addition to the information currently available on Nichols, his life and work. I didn't think he'd be able to do a full bio of him since there's so little information out there, but he pulled it off and did a fantastic job.

[ghost of miles]

Mark sent me a copy of the manuscript, and I think it's quite good. He's obviously done a tremendous amount of careful research, and the book will be an important addition to the information currently available on Nichols, his life and work. I didn't think he'd be able to do a full bio of him since there's so little information out there, but he pulled it off and did a fantastic job.

An endorsement from you makes me even more eager to read it, Frank.

[JSngry]

Will this bio delve into why Nichols was "not accepted" by his peers? That's long been a mystery to me. The Mosaic booklet "vaguely speculated" but drew no conclusions. It would be nice to have an answer as to why this most talented individual never got over, even a little.

[Larry Kart]

BTW, and not that there's anything wrong with that, but was Herbie Nichols gay? For some reason that I can no longer recall (perhaps it was something Roswell Rudd said in the Mosaic booklet), I once thought that there was reason to think that he was. If so, that might have played some role in his not fitting in among his peers as well as one might wish.

[JSngry]

Well, that's kinda what I was hinting at that the Mosaic booklet hinted at, but I was gonna leave it to the people who have seen the book to explicitify.

[Nate Dorward]

Jim's & Larry's questions are the ones that everyone seems to want answered .... I didn't ask Mark about this specifically, but if I run into him at the Monk's Casino gig next week I may see if he has any preliminary revelations to share.

Thanks Frank: your blessing says a lot about the book's quality.

Apparently Mark's next project (man, I envy a guy who seems to always have another project waiting in the wings) is on Lonnie Johnson's Canadian sojourn.

Edited June 19, 2009 by Nate Dorward

[JSngry]

If nothing else, if he was gay, it speaks yet further to how the jazz world of Nichols time was so "progressive" in some ways, so not in others, not at all unlike the "60s counterculture" (both white and black) which in many ways evolved out of that jazz world. Without getting polemical, I'd think that this could be addressed in the context of why Nichol's career stalled out so badly, which is what I'm really curious about, his sexual orientation really being of no interest to me otherwise.

[fkimbrough]

I don't think the book really delves into Herbie's sexuality.........there's nothing in the book to support questions that he may have been gay. There is some speculation however that he may have had a romantic relationship with Many Lou Williams, but that is also unsubstantiated. The book contains many relevant details about his life, but these questions remain unanswered.

[JSngry]

Ok, sexuality aside, is there any delving into the unfortunate career arc (or more accurately, lack thereof) of Mr. Nichols? Did people just not like his tunes or what?

[fkimbrough]

The reasons for his not fitting into the scene are dealt with to some degree, and again, due to the lack of information available, much of it is somewhat speculative. I think if you read the book you'll get a much clearer picture of that, and of other aspects of his life. Most of what's in the book is factual information - some already known, some not. It deals with his life and career chronologically, and while some of it deals with the types of questions above, that's not the thrust of the book. Miller sticks to the facts for the most part, and presents them very clearly in my view.

[bertrand]

Did Mark attempt to make an exhaustive list of Herbie's compositions? I started on this last summer, but then got busy with the move and my insane late hours at work and I have not yet wrapped it up.

Bertrand.

[Chuck Nessa]

The recordings are enough for me. Thank you Mr Nichols.

[Ken Dryden]

I've enjoyed Herbie Nichols' recordings, too, but welcome any artist who records any of his compositions that he never had the opportunity to record himself.

[Enterprise Server]

Sounds good. I look forward to a Herbie Nichols bio. The first time I head about him was when I read A.B. Spellmans 'Four Lives in The Bebop Business". When I finally heard his recordings (Blue Note) -I fell in love with his music.

[AccuJazz]

Wow, I really hope to read that bio when it comes out. Herbie's music is like none other. I had a long conversation with Ben Allison about Herbie when Ben was in Chicago a few months ago (with Frank sitting a couple of feet away) and he put forth his own theory about Herbie being gay -- acknowledging that there was no factual evidence for it.

[Cliff Englewood]

Is there any update on when this might be published?

[Nate Dorward]

It'll be later this year: Mark said he'd get Mercury to send me a review copy, so I should see it right upon publication.

[Cliff Englewood]

It'll be later this year: Mark said he'd get Mercury to send me a review copy, so I should see it right upon publication.

Thanks for that Nate.

[Guest Bill Barton]

Thanks, Nate!!!!!

Good news indeed! The fact that Mark Miller is the author bodes well for all concerned.