Herbie Nichols - Love, Gloom, Cash, Love (2014) [Hi-Res]

Recorded a year after his last landmark Blue Note dates, this album finds Nichols performing in the familiar trio setting again -- this time with Mingus drummer Dannie Richmond and bassist George Duvivier. These performances may be less animated than Nichols' earlier sides as a leader, but that's not to suggest the pianist's writing or playing had become pedestrian or predictable. The absence of the powerhouse drummers Art Blakey and Max Roach makes these ten tunes easier to appreciate upon first listen. Richmond's characteristic bombast and humor are kept in check here. With the drummer maintaining straight, subdued rhythms, Nichols' complex melodies and solos shine that much brighter -- especially on such standout originals as the album's title track, "Beyond Recall," and "S'Crazy Pad." Rhino reissued Love, Gloom, Cash, Love in 2001. -- Brian Beatty