Herbie Nichols by Richard Savery
Herbie Nichols by Richard Savery
Richard Savery!
Black Music - Winter Quarter, 2015!
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! Herbie Nichols was a piano player and composer who performed as part of the New
York jazz scene from 1937 up until his death in 1963. A self described ‘jazzist’,1 Nichols
worked with many different jazz ensembles, moving from Dixieland to Swing and even
Rhythm and Blues in his later life. His most notable work however, was with his own piano
trio recording his original compositions. Nichols was never able to run a continually
working band, instead picking up musicians for each session as it arose (fortunately these
musicians included Art Blakey and Max Roach). During Nichols’ life very little was
documented on his musical style2, there is only a small collection of his own writing on
music, as well as four albums.!
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! In this paper I will explore why Nichols was left outside the main jazz canon and
developments of his era. Nichols has been characterised as ‘an outsider even among
outsiders’ 3 and he certainly was unable to achieve mainstream success in the jazz world
during his time and even to this day. I believe this is due to his musical approach deviating
from the bebop era, using distinctive features of bebop’s approach, while using new
harmonic ideas separating his music from any clear style of jazz. Nichols was also socially
outside the usual realm of the New York jazz community and never found acceptance
within his lifetime. !
Musical Style
! As demonstrated in his four albums, Nichols developed a unique compositional and
improvisational voice that stood out amongst his peers. Nichols describes his style of jazz
as deriving from ‘the Jelly Roll Morton, Earl Hines, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Bud
Powell tradition.’4 In terms of improvisation there is a clear link to that lineage, however
his compositional style is highly informed by the jazz tradition but uses a unique approach
to form and harmony. Nichols began studying strictly European classical music, with both
his parents and piano instructor forbidding him from playing jazz, up until 1935. At this
time, Nichols had no desire to play jazz, he stated: ‘My earliest ambitions were to become
1 Miller, Mark Herbie Nichols A Jazzist’s Life (The Mercury Press, 2009) p18
2 Ibid. p8
3 Ibid. p29
4 Nichols, Herbie, “Herbie Nichols says,” (Metronome, February 1956)
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a Prokofiev’.5 By the age of 17 it became apparent however that Nichols would be unable
to study at a conservatory due to his race, so instead he ‘decided to become an Ellington
and to enter the fascinating field of jazz’.6!
Thelonious Monk
! One common misconception that exists around Nichols music is its relation to
Thelonious Monk’s style. It is often viewed that Nichols’ music was highly inspired or
imitative of Monk’s music. While there are similarities, I believe they each had very
different musical approaches. Nichols and Monk were on friendly terms, Nichols provided
Outsider Status
! In addition to Nichols new musical direction he was socially placed outside his
environment from birth. Growing up in Harlem with parents from St. Kitts and Trinidad he
was considered outside the African American community. A general atmosphere suggested
that as West Indian’s had been released from slavery a generation earlier they had not
experienced the same forms of suffering.11 Whether this atmosphere was real or
perceived, it was certainly felt by Nichols and his family. His parents original forbiddance of
him studying jazz reflects their specific disconnect from the African American community.
Nichols’ original influences were Prokofiev, Stravinsky and Rachmaninov up until he
realised he would face great challenges too formally study, perform and compose works in
their idiom.12 !
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! Quotes from other musicians imply that his West Indian background did alter his
perception in the community. Bobby Johnson, Jr. who employed Nichols in 1956
described the piano player (and one of his friends) ‘two young West Indian guys who had
come up through the ranks.’13 From childhood Nichols was on the outside of this
The Gig
! The Gig (see Appendix 1) is a composition by Nichols, recorded in 1956 for his third
album, featuring Max Roach on drums and Al McKibbon on bass. Nichols describes The
! The melody features a jagged A section against a flowing bebop inspired B section.
The entire form of this piece used for improvisation is 67 measures long moving through
ABABCABD (C section demonstrated in Diagram 2), something unheard of in the bebop
era. The introduction features a four bar drum break and is also used as the final musical
figure. In this case Nichols’ 9 bar phrases are used as a commentary on the ‘extra
measures’ that can occur in a jam session.!
6 4 9 8 9 8 8 9 8 8 8
! Improvisation, which was essentially the main component of bebop tunes is built
into this piece as a musical tool, as opposed to being the essence of the form. Nichols
uses the drums (as he does in many compositions) to help control the form of the piece,
beginning with a drum break between the intro and the A section and using the drums to
lead into the improvised solos. Over The Gig only Nichols improvises a solo over the form,
through 2 choruses, with the second merging into the final melody. Nichols improvisation
stems from the earlier jazz tradition of elaborating on the melodic material, as an
expansion of the opening melody as opposed to a new direction only using the chord
progression as inspiration.
! Nichols uses a wide of range of harmonic movement throughout the composition.
Particularly notable is the C section (discussed above) which features symmetrical
movement of dominant chords, moving in minor thirds. This style of composition only
really became part of the wider jazz scene five years later, when John Coltrane recorded
Giant Steps. At this stage not only was the sound of this harmonic progression unused by
bebop musicians it would have presented extreme improvising challenges, even for the
best beboppers. When Giant Steps was recorded five years later, it presented significant
challenges to the musicians involved and set a new standard of accomplishment for jazz
musicians. !
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Bibliography!
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Feather, Leonard et al. The Encyclopedia of jazz. Horizon Press, 1960!
Miller, Mark Herbie Nichols A Jazzist’s Life (The Mercury Press, 2009)
Nichols, Herbie, “Herbie Nichols says,” (Metronome, February 1956)
Nichols, Herbie, The jazz life 5 July 1941.
Nichols, Herbie, “Jazz milieu,” The Music Dial, August 1944, 7.
Nichols, Herbie The jazz purist (The Music Dial, September 1944, 20.)
Spellman, AB. Black music, four lives New York: Schocken, 1966.
Waters, Mary C. Black identities: West Indian immigrant dreams and American realities
Harvard University Press, 2009
Mostly for music The New Yorker, 17 December 1955, 8.!
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Albums!
Nichols, Herbie Herbie Nichols Trio Vol. 1,1955, Blue Note!
Nichols, Herbie Herbie Nichols Trio Vol. 2,1955, Blue Note!
Nichols, Herbie Herbie Nichols Trio, 1956, Blue Note!
Nichols, Herbie Love, Gloom, Cash, Love, 1957, Bethlehem !
Parker, Charlie, Moose the Mooche, 1946, Dial Records!
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