Strange City | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 2001 | |||
Recorded | May 29 and 30, 2001 | |||
Studio | Maggie's Farm, Buck's County, Pennsylvania | |||
Genre | Jazz | |||
Length | 53:48 | |||
Label | Palmetto PM-2077 | |||
The Herbie Nichols Project chronology | ||||
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Strange City is the third album by the Herbie Nichols Project, an American jazz ensemble dedicated to performing the music of composer and pianist Herbie Nichols. It was recorded during May 2001 at Maggie's Farm in Buck's County, Pennsylvania, and was released later that year by Palmetto Records. Led by pianist Frank Kimbrough and double bassist Ben Allison, the group also features saxophonists Ted Nash and Michael Blake, trumpeter Ron Horton, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, and drummer Matt Wilson. [1] [2]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
The Penguin Guide to Jazz | [3] |
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz | [4] |
In a review for AllMusic, David R. Adler wrote: "the group crafts a differently orchestrated universe for each track -- a production strategy that highlights the collaborative nature of the enterprise and gives everyone multiple moments in the spotlight... Clearly, hard work was done in fleshing out these arrangements, and yet the session is suffused with an offhanded sense of play and freedom." [1]
The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings stated: "the playing has a lot of confident sparkle... As a repertory project, its arcane starting-point is a plus: no need to pull and squeeze these materials out of shape in search of newness." [3]
C. Andrew Hovan of All About Jazz commented: "this set contains some of the ensemble's finest moments on record to date... there are ample opportunities not only to luxuriate in the compositional genius of Nichols, but also to admire the strong ensemble passages and the individual voices that make up the ensemble... [it is] a great program that not only interprets and extends the Nichols legacy but also speaks highly in regards to each group member's individual muse." [5]
Author Gene Santoro called the album "a coolly unpredictable yet genre-smart treat," and remarked: "It can also function as a kind of primer about fill-in-the-dots jazz composition and arranging, the organic mesh linking written and improvised music woven by jazz performance." [6]
Writing for Louisville Music News, Rick Forest noted: "This is not 'smooth' jazz, or even 'gentle' jazz. It's music to stretch your ears and make you aware of the possibility that 'fusion' came about long before Miles Davis. It's a different kind of fusion, to be sure, but it's a project well worth checking out." [7]
Composed by Herbie Nichols.
Herbert Horatio Nichols was an American jazz pianist and composer who wrote the jazz standard "Lady Sings the Blues". Obscure during his lifetime, he is now highly regarded by many musicians and critics.
Ben Allison is an American double bassist, composer, producer, bandleader, educator. In addition to his work as a performer, he co-founded the non-profit Jazz Composers Collective and served as its Artistic Director for twelve years. Allison is an adjunct professor at New School University and serves on the board of the New York chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, where he serves as President.
Frank Kimbrough was an American post-bop jazz pianist. He was born and raised in Roxboro, North Carolina. He did some work at Chapel Hill before moving to Washington, D. C. in 1980 and then New York City in 1981.
Wycliffe A. Gordon is an American jazz trombonist, arranger, composer, band leader, and music educator at the collegiate-conservatory level. Gordon also sings and plays didgeridoo, trumpet, soprano trombone, tuba, and piano. His nickname is "Pinecone".
Ted Nash is an American jazz saxophonist, flutist and composer. Born into a musical family, his uncle was saxophonist Ted Nash and his father is trombonist Dick Nash, both prominent jazz soloists and first call Hollywood studio musicians. Nash is a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra directed by Wynton Marsalis. He is one of the founders of the Jazz Composers Collective.
V.S.O.P. is a 1977 double live album by keyboardist Herbie Hancock, featuring acoustic jazz performances by the V.S.O.P. Quintet, jazz fusion/ jazz-funk performances by the ‘Mwandishi’ band and The Headhunters.
Freddie Hubbard/Stanley Turrentine In Concert Volume One is a live album recorded in 1973 by jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine. It was recorded in Chicago and Detroit for Creed Taylor's CTI label and features performances by Hubbard, Turrentine, guitarist Eric Gale, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Jack DeJohnette and pianist Herbie Hancock.
A Beautiful Day is a live album by American jazz pianist Andrew Hill recorded in 2002 at Birdland in New York City and released on the Palmetto label.
Buzz is the sixth album by bassist Ben Allison. It was released on the Palmetto Records label in 2004.
Riding The Nuclear Tiger is the fourth album by bassist Ben Allison. It was released on the Palmetto Records label in 2001.
Third Eye is the third album by bassist Ben Allison. It was released on the Palmetto Records label in 1999.
Medicine Wheel is an album by bassist Ben Allison that was released by Palmetto in 1998.
Seven Arrows is the debut album by bassist Ben Allison. It was released on the Koch Records label in 1996.
Matthew Edward Wilson is an American jazz drummer.
At Newport '63 is an album by the jazz vocalese group Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan recorded at the 1963 Newport Jazz Festival. The album features the group who had re-formed in 1963 featuring Dave Lambert and Jon Hendricks, with Yolande Bavan replacing Annie Ross who had left the group in 1962.
Ron Horton is an American jazz trumpeter.
Michael Blake is a Canadian saxophonist, composer and arranger. Blake is based in New York City where he has led a robust career leading his own bands. As a sideman Michael has performed with Charlie Hunter, The Lounge Lizards, Steven Bernstein/Henry Butler and the Hot 9, Ben Allison and Ray LaMontagne. The New York Times jazz critic Ben Ratliff wrote,"Mr. Blake, on tenor especially, is an endlessly engaging improviser, and an inquisitive one".
The Herbie Nichols Project was an American jazz ensemble dedicated to performing the music of composer and pianist Herbie Nichols.
Love Is Proximity is the debut album by the Herbie Nichols Project, an American jazz ensemble dedicated to performing the music of composer and pianist Herbie Nichols. It was recorded during 1995 and 1996 at Acoustic Recording in Brooklyn, New York, and was released in 1997 by the Soul Note label. Led by pianist Frank Kimbrough and double bassist Ben Allison, the group also features saxophonist Ted Nash, trumpeter Ron Horton, and drummer Jeff Ballard.
Dr. Cyclops' Dream is the second album by the Herbie Nichols Project, an American jazz ensemble dedicated to performing the music of composer and pianist Herbie Nichols. It was recorded during February 1999 at Tedesco Studio in Paramus, New Jersey, and was released later that year by the Soul Note label. Led by pianist Frank Kimbrough and double bassist Ben Allison, the group also features saxophonists Ted Nash and Michael Blake, trumpeter Ron Horton, and drummer Tim Horner.