July 5th, 1995
BUELL NEIDLINGER
Blue Chopsticks: A Portrait of Herbie Nichols
K2B2 3169
Eclectic bassist Buell Neidlinger pays homage to brilliant, lesser-known pianist and composer Herbie Nichols, who died in 1963 at age 44. The album features Nichols' best-known theme, "Lady Sings The Blues," which he wrote with Billie Holiday.
Neidlinger's quintet includes three string players (on violin, viola and cello), and redoubtable reedman Marty Krystall. Although the string arrangements may seem to bear classical or bluegrass inflences, Neidlinger is acutely aware of teh deep-rooted role of strings in jazz. Highlihgts of an enjoyably offbeat set include the sunny-yet-weird "Query" and the rapid-paced, bebop flurry "Cro-Magnon Nights."
