The Herbie Nichols Project - Love Is Proximity (1996)

The Herbie Nichols Project revisits the rarely recorded works of pianist Herbie Nichols, who died in obscurity in 1963. Pianist Frank Kimbrough leads a fine quintet through ten of Nichols' works, including the richly voiced "Wildflower," featuring tenor saxophonist Ted Nash and trumpeter Ron Horton, then adds a second version as a piano solo. Surprisingly, one of Nichols' best-known (but still relatively obscure) pieces, "House Party Starting," is omitted.

Review by Ken Dryden