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Herbie Nichols did not recieve a lot of recognition during his life, but he has become a bit of a cult favorite for anyone who has discovered this very unique pianist and composer. Describing his music is difficult, other idiosyncratic pianists such as Theolonius Monk, Duke Ellington or Ahmad Jamal might make good refernece points. Like those three, Nichols usues a lot of space in his phrases and he has a knack for making odd dissonances sound appealing. There is also a continental flair to Nichol's playing, often times he recalls the piano works of French composres such as Ravel, Satie and Poulenc. Add all of this up and you have a very interesting approach to the piano that is full of modern unexpected twists, but presented with charm and sophistication to spare.
"Love, Gloom, Cash, Love" was Herbie's first side for the Bethlehem label after recording several LPs for Bluue Note. His accompanists for this trio date, Danny Richmond and George Duviver, keep a very laid back cool approach and supply simple and quiet rhythms for Nichols to float his subtle pianistc flavors on top of. If you seek a very unique sound on the piano, you must check out Herbie Nichols.
