- Herbie Nichols Trio: “Amoeba’s Dance” (The Prophetic Herbie Nichols, Vol. 2, Blue Note, 1955)
It still swings, it still has a 32-bar AABA form, but beyond those rough outlines it’s hard to locate a precedent for “Amoeba’s Dance.” From the grim dissonances of the melody to the erratic progression of moods and ideas on the solo (like a pep talk that hasn’t gone as planned) to the weird soft touch of the pianist’s left hand throughout (and Blakey’s uncharacteristic quiet on the toms), the tune is as original a statement as any being made in the mid-1950s. It also abhors humor, lending it an air of creepy mystery that was far from the era’s mainstream; critics raved, but a decade later, with Nichols dead, Blue Note still hadn’t sold out Prophetic’s first pressing.
Originally Published
