Herbie Nichols: A Jazzist's Life (Trade Edition)

Herbie Nichols wanted to be a Prokofiev, but when classical training proved beyond his means as a young pianist in Harlem, he decided instead to become an Ellington. In truth, he became a Nichols — by his own description a “jazzist” and by any other name a singular figure on the New York jazz scene of the 1950s. He composed and all too infrequently recorded music whose originality, modernity and humour — set him apart from his contemporaries. Increasingly celebrated in the years since his death, Nichols is now honoured with this sympathetic and engaging biography.