Spinning Song: Plays Herbie Nichols [Import]

Spinning Song: Plays Herbie Nichols [Import]

Track Listings

1. Third World

2. Happenings

3. Lady Sings The Blues

4. Nick At T's

5. House Party Starting

6. 2300 Skidoo

7. Portrait Of Ucha

8. 134th St.

9. Spinning Song

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
When the pianist and composer Herbie Nichols died in 1963, his work was little known outside of a small circle of colleagues and admirers. A contemporary and associate of Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell, Nichols made joyous music by fusing complex rhythms and harmonies. With the recent release of his complete Blue Note recordings, however, Nichols's work has begun to reach the wider audience it has always deserved. This disc stands out among CD tributes for the way in which Duck Baker has fused Nichols's compositions with his extraordinary finger-style guitar work. Baker has entered deep into the spirit of the music and found ways to match Nichols's polyrhythmic and contrapuntal keyboard approach on his own instrument. The results are musically as well as technically brilliant, rich in the blues and Caribbean rhythms that fueled Nichols's musical imagination. These tunes deserve to be jazz standards, and Baker demonstrates why. --Stuart Broomer

Tracks:

Third World
Happenings
Lady Sings the Blues
Nick at T's
House Party Starting
2300 Skiddoo
Portrait of Ucha
134th St.
Spinning Song

Amazon.com

When the pianist and composer Herbie Nichols died in 1963, his work was little known outside of a small circle of colleagues and admirers. A contemporary and associate of Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell, Nichols made joyous music by fusing complex rhythms and harmonies. With the recent release of his complete Blue Note recordings, however, Nichols's work has begun to reach the wider audience it has always deserved. This disc stands out among CD tributes for the way in which Duck Baker has fused Nichols's compositions with his extraordinary finger-style guitar work. Baker has entered deep into the spirit of the music and found ways to match Nichols's polyrhythmic and contrapuntal keyboard approach on his own instrument. The results are musically as well as technically brilliant, rich in the blues and Caribbean rhythms that fueled Nichols's musical imagination. These tunes deserve to be jazz standards, and Baker demonstrates why. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

Genius Qualified.......2006-06-25

Duck Baker is a genius in his ability to arrange complex piano pieces for finger-style guitar, and his technical execution of these pieces is masterful. I admire Duck Baker greatly, but I believe his work has one, just one, flaw; his inability to swing. A listen to Herbie Nichols' Blue Note recordings shows that for all his compositional complexity he could swing with the best. Duck's recordings, going all the way back to his Kicking Mule issued Ragtime-based work, felt rythmically static to me. For this reason I'm afraid that this recording will please jazz listeners less than it will the lovers of precise,
more folk-based finger-style guitar.

A great introduction to Herbie Nichols' music.......2001-03-07

On this album, Duck Baker takes a spare, solo-guitar approach to realizing the music of Herbie Nichols, a much-underappreciated contemporary of such jazz luminaries as Thelonious Monk. Baker clearly understands Nichol's ferocious harmonic complexity, demonstrated amply by the range of chord voicings that are several steps removed from run-of-the-mill II-V-I. "The Third World," which opens the album, is reminiscent of Thelonious Monk's compositions, but it has a flavor distinctly different from Monk, which Baker articulates with grace and extraordinary time. This album is well-worth the listen, whether you're a guitar fan or jazz fan or what have you -- it's simply great music.

Duck Baker: A Genius!.......1999-12-17

With Duck Bakers brillant finger-style approach to jazz guitar, he manages to improvise in Herbie Nichols complex songs. This is done with energy and beauty. Most of the songs are played at a slower pace than Herbie's original blue note recordings, though in no way does this detract from the songs. In fact the opposite is true.

Discover two unkown geniuses on one disc!.......1999-07-24

Duck Baker is widely appreciated as a master of finger-style jazz guitar, and his recordings of Herbie Nichols' beautiful music are truly rewarding. Guitar fans and jazz fans who are into Monk,etc, will get alot out of this nuanced interpretation.

Spinning Song: Duck Baker Plays The Music Of Herbie Nichols

Average customer rating:

Genius Qualified
A great introduction to Herbie Nichols' music
Duck Baker: A Genius!
Discover two unkown geniuses on one disc!

Spinning Song: Duck Baker Plays The Music Of Herbie Nichols
Duck Baker
Manufacturer: Avant Japan
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Singer Songwriters | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Folk | Imports | Stores | Music

Jazz | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000058VR
Release Date: 1997-03-18

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