Love, Gloom, Cash, Love
Occupation
- Piano: Herbie Nichols
- Bass: George Duvivier
- Drums: Dannie Richmond
Love, Gloom, Cash, Love is a jazz album by Herbie Nichols, taken in November 1957 in New York City and published by Bethlehem Records. In 1989, appeared on the UK re-issue label Affinity a new edition under the title The Bethlehem session.
The album
The jazz critic Brian Priestley begins his essay to the new edition of the album with the words: " The history of misunderstood musician has already been told many times, but in the case of Herbie Nichols, nothing has been often told enough." The composer and pianist would be totally fallen into oblivion, had it not been already in the 1960s a small group of musicians such as Roswell Rudd and Archie Shepp, who played with Nichols and his pieces kept in the repertoire. This meant that the author AB Spellman Herbie Nichols devoted a chapter of his book, Four Lives in Bebop Business. Both gave rise to later generations of writers and musicians, to deal with Nichols ' work, such as Geri Allen or Misha Mengelberg.
In order to get gigs or recording contracts, the composer and pianist often had to rely on the help of fellow musicians; so the pianist Ellis Larkins mediated a series of gigs where he could play his compositions; in the audience sat Thelonious Monk, Randy Weston, and Cecil Taylor. Charles Mingus was responsible for the one-year contract with Blue Note 1955/56. The bassist also established contact with the small record label Bethlehem Records, on which he had just received his LP East Coasting before. Contributing musicians were bassist George Duvivier, who just played with Bud Powell, and the young Mingus drummer Dannie Richmond.
Brian Priestley compares the then -established Bethlehem session as documentation of Nichols ' compositions with Monk's Blue Note recordings 1946-1948 ( Genius of Modern Music). In his compositions, Nichols showed ' admiration for only 15 months younger colleagues Monk to hear in the solo of "Beyond Recall" or in the introduction to " S'Crazy Pad ". Other influences are Duke Ellington's harmonies and the piano runs of Art Tatum. It Nichols showed a high degree of structural and melodic freedom and independence from these models; Brian Priestley compares it stylistically with Cecil Taylor's early pieces in the late 1950s, as heard in " Argumentative " or " 45 ° Angle". Last piece written by the Monk - friend Denzil Best Other titles such as " Infatuation Eyes " or the waltz -like "Love, Gloom, Cash, Love" take loans from the European modernity as Richard Strauss and Kurt Weill. Compared to Monk music appears during Bethlehem session often elated There were Herbie Nichols ' last recordings before his death under his own name.
One of his most enigmatic confusing design principles Nichols is a peculiar use of the form, such as on the songs " Portrait of Ucha " or " Argumentative ". His compositions often go by common formal patterns such as the 32 -bar AABA form of; but this is thereby alienated that they do not consist of regular eight-bar parts at Nichols. At that time, some of them today's listeners, itself acts a swinging phrasing improvisation on such a formal scheme as would parts omitted or added. After Brian Priestley, the former listeners had the impression that Nichols " losing itself " - to that extent similar to Monk - in his game without recognizing the degree of freedom of phrasing, even though he played within the conventional form schema.
Album Review
According to Richard Cook and Brian Morton in the second edition of the Penguin Guide to Jazz Bethlehem session is an " absolute gem ", they gave him the highest rating; they point out that Nichols, though not really a standard player, here offers amazing interpretations of well-known titles such as " All the Way ". You count the session - in addition to the Blue Note Sessions 1955/56 - the best of Nichols ' narrow business and regret that no alternate takes of the imported items are received.
The title
- Herbie Nichols - Love, Gloom, Cash, Love ( Bethlehem BCP 81)