Herbie Nichols bio

[Ted O'Reilly]

Just to give y'all a heads-up, Amazon (in Canada, anyway) is taking orders for the new biography of Herbie Nichols by Mark Miller. It's one I've been waiting for...

Herbie Nichols: A Jazzists Life

Paperback: 240 pages

Publisher: The Mercury Press (Nov 15 2009)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1551281465

ISBN-13: 978-1551281469

I've found Miller's previous books to be great sources of original research, presented in a calm and scholarly way, without being pedantic. Most recently he has covered the internationaization of jazz in "Some Hustling This! Taking Jazz to the World, 1914-1929"; and his look into the myth and life of Valaida Snow, "High Hat, Trumpet and Rhythm" cleared up more than a few stories about that interesting artist.

This is going to be a good one, I think...

[ghost of miles]

Thanks much, Ted--I remember Nate Dorward or somebody else here mentioning that this book was in the works a year ago or so. Looks to be a good year for jazz bios, at least of mid-20th-century NYC-based pianists of note...

[jostber]

Well, Mr.Nichols' wonderful music deserves a great book!

[fomafomic65]

Just to give y'all a heads-up, Amazon (in Canada, anyway) is taking orders for the new biography of Herbie Nichols by Mark Miller. It's one I've been waiting for...

Herbie Nichols: A Jazzists Life

Paperback: 240 pages

Publisher: The Mercury Press (Nov 15 2009)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1551281465

ISBN-13: 978-1551281469

I've found Miller's previous books to be great sources of original research, presented in a calm and scholarly way, without being pedantic. Most recently he has covered the internationaization of jazz in "Some Hustling This! Taking Jazz to the World, 1914-1929"; and his look into the myth and life of Valaida Snow, "High Hat, Trumpet and Rhythm" cleared up more than a few stories about that interesting artist.

This is going to be a good one, I think...

Thank you Ted, I'll try and preorder.

I have a thing for jazz biographies -though I rarely found really interesting ones. After the famed 'Four Lives In BeBop Business' Miller's book may fill a disappointing lack of informations about a great artist

[AllenLowe]

does Nichols have any heirs?

[Teasing the Korean]

How much more music is there by him beyond the double Blue Note LP and the Bethlehem album? Is the rest mostly alternate takes? Are the alternate takes radically different?

[blajay]

As far as I know, he wrote a lot more music that was never recorded. I think Roswell Rudd and/or Steve Lacy have recorded all of his unheard compositions, though. I also have a Vic Dickenson record that features him. I haven't read the great Mosaic booklet in a while, but as I recall Nichols really struggled, forced to play dixie gigs to get by.

[bertrand]

There remain many unrecorded Nichols compositions, other than those covered by Rudd and the Jazz Composers' Collective featuring our own Frank Kimbrough. Frank also appears on Teri Roiger's So It Always Happens, the title track of which is an unrecorded Herbie tune with lyrics!

Some of the unrecorded pieces are in the Music Division of the Library of Congress; others are elsewhere in different places TBD. The complete list of what is at LC can be found on their website, based on a list I compiled after I collected them. It is tricky to find; the call number is m1356.2.N.

Bertrand.

[Big Beat Steve]

How much more music is there by him beyond the double Blue Note LP and the Bethlehem album? Is the rest mostly alternate takes? Are the alternate takes radically different?

Don't forget the session he did for Savoy.

[jeffcrom]

How much more music is there by him beyond the double Blue Note LP and the Bethlehem album? Is the rest mostly alternate takes? Are the alternate takes radically different?

There are half a dozen or so pieces he recorded for Blue Note which were not released until the Mosaic set - not alternate takes (there are some of those, too), but different compositions.

[Nate Dorward]

Just got the book in the mail today--haven't read too much yet, just digging in. Looks like a typical Mark Miller book: thorough, thoughtful, tersely but well-written, filling in the historical context without padding the book unduly, & resting on a considerable body of research. There are many quotes from Nichols's writings, too--both the famous essay on Monk & one I'd not seen quoted from before.

The discography at the back includes a lot of Nichols's sideman work in dixieland* bands--I've never heard any of this stuff, there's actually quite a bit of it. Anyone heard it & care to comment? Is his presence at the keyboard in this context particularly noticeable? -- There's also a discography of covers of his tunes, beginning with Billie Holiday's version of "Lady Sings the Blues" & going right up to the present.

I really love the Savoy recordings, they're worth seeking out: the vocals are quite charming & "Who's Blues" in particular is first-rate. I have them on that great LP with Monk's quartet session with Gryce on the flip. Mark does correct the frequent misidentification of the guitarist as Danny Barker (it's not known who it is, but it's not him).

*Mark just wrote to say that actually a lot of these are R&B not dixieland recordings.

Edited November 21, 2009 by Nate Dorward

[colinmce]

I really love the Savoy recordings, they're worth seeking out: the vocals are quite charming & "Who's Blues" in particular is first-rate. I have them on that great LP with Monk's quartet session with Gryce on the flip.

Is this Signals?

[ghost of miles]

Just got the book in the mail today--haven't read too much yet, just digging in. Looks like a typical Mark Miller book: thorough, thoughtful, tersely but well-written, filling in the historical context without padding the book unduly, & resting on a considerable body of research. There are many quotes from Nichols's writings, too--both the famous essay on Monk & one I'd not seen quoted from before.

I'll second Nate's take--read the first 60 pages yesterday and hope to finish it tomorrow. Surprised at how much Mr. Miller was able to dig up about Herbie.

[jazzbo]

I really love the Savoy recordings, they're worth seeking out: the vocals are quite charming & "Who's Blues" in particular is first-rate. I have them on that great LP with Monk's quartet session with Gryce on the flip.

Is this Signals?

The Monk/Gryce material showed up on these three lps I believe (in this order):

* Gigi Gryce Quartet And Orchestra (Signal S 1201)

* Gigi Gryce - Nica's Tempo (Savoy MG 12137)

* Gigi Gryce/Duke Jordan/Hall Overton - Signals (Savoy SJL 2231)

I have it on cd on "Nica's Tempo."

Edited December 5, 2009 by jazzbo

[jazzbo]

The Nichols material was released on Hi-Lo 78 and LP

* Various Artists - I Just Love Jazz Piano - Down And Out (Savoy MG 12100)

* Herbie Nichols - Who's Blues c/w 'S Wonderful (Hi-Lo 1403)

* Chocolate Williams - Lady Ginger Snaps c/w Good Story Blues (Hi-Lo 1402)

* Various Artists - The Modern Keyboard Album (2 LP) (Savoy SJL 2247)

I'm not sure it was ever on lp together with the Gryce material, though it may well have been. I have it on cd on "I Just Love Jazz Piano" and "The Modern Keyboard Album."

[kh1958]

The Nichols material was released on Hi-Lo 78 and LP

* Various Artists - I Just Love Jazz Piano - Down And Out (Savoy MG 12100)

* Herbie Nichols - Who's Blues c/w 'S Wonderful (Hi-Lo 1403)

* Chocolate Williams - Lady Ginger Snaps c/w Good Story Blues (Hi-Lo 1402)

* Various Artists - The Modern Keyboard Album (2 LP) (Savoy SJL 2247)

I'm not sure it was ever on lp together with the Gryce material, though it may well have been. I have it on cd on "I Just Love Jazz Piano" and "The Modern Keyboard Album."

The Gryce/Monk and Nichols material is on opposing sides of SJL 1166, a 1986 Savoy reissue on LP.

[jostber]

Here is a link to the book at Mercury Press:

http://www.themercurypress.ca/?q=folksonomy/jazz

[jazzbo]

The Nichols material was released on Hi-Lo 78 and LP

* Various Artists - I Just Love Jazz Piano - Down And Out (Savoy MG 12100)

* Herbie Nichols - Who's Blues c/w 'S Wonderful (Hi-Lo 1403)

* Chocolate Williams - Lady Ginger Snaps c/w Good Story Blues (Hi-Lo 1402)

* Various Artists - The Modern Keyboard Album (2 LP) (Savoy SJL 2247)

I'm not sure it was ever on lp together with the Gryce material, though it may well have been. I have it on cd on "I Just Love Jazz Piano" and "The Modern Keyboard Album."

The Gryce/Monk and Nichols material is on opposing sides of SJL 1166, a 1986 Savoy reissue on LP.

Thanks kh. I've never seen that one, and didn't find it listed discographically.

[AllenLowe]

they should publish some samples on-line of these various books; I know I've said it before but when it comes to music books publishers seems to have weirdly uncritical standards; too many I've seen read like raw research. And I don't want to have to buy it and return in, tired of that 15 minute car trip to Borders.

[Nate Dorward]

True. But you can definitely buy anything by Mark Miller without qualm. & get the Stuart Broomer book while you're at it--it's great.

[AllenLowe]

thanks - will do -

[B. Clugston]

There's an excerpt of the book in this month's Point of Departure:

http://www.pointofdeparture.org/PoD26/PoD2...ks_Nichols.html

Looks like a good one.

[fasstrack]

Herbie Nichols was a fine writer himself. I remember reading his review of Monk in some jazz publication. His insights and prose were worth reading. He was a hell of a talented guy all around. His tunes were interesting and quirky and he could play in a lot more styles than people know. He played in a dixieland band evidently. Well, if you're a working musician you do what they call you for.

[Nate Dorward]

My thoughts on the book are now online here.

[fkimbrough]

Hi Nate - nice review of Mark Miller's book on Herbie Nichols. The six unissued tracks you referred to (from the Bethlehem recordings) are unfortunately, apparently lost. This according to Michael Cuscuna, who tried to track them down, probably as the Mosaic set was being assembled - a list of titles was all he could come up with. Who knows - maybe we'll get lucky and some day they'll turn up.