Afterbeat – Herbie Nichols
This song may seem a bit simpler than some others by Herbie Nichols, but as is often the case there's plenty of intrigue under the surface with a non-repeating form and an ambiguous key center. For our Herbie Nichols Centennial Project, pianist Jeb Patton interpreted this song with a gentle "stride" 2-feel.
- Recording: Herbie Nichols - The First 6
- Recorded on: December 31, 2019
- Label: jazzleadsheets.com (JLS 1058)
- Concert Key: B-flat minor
- Style: Swing (medium)
- Piano - Jeb Patton
Video
- Check out our teaser video showing excerpts for the first 6 songs we're releasing that were recorded and filmed for our Herbie Nichols Centennial Project - a solo piano recording project featuring 23 gifted pianists playing 24 previously unrecorded compositions by Herbie Nichols. Order of pianists and Herbie Nichols songs (excerpts) on the teaser video: Jeb Patton - The Afterbeat Frank Kimbrough - Blues No. 1 David Berkman - Games And Codes David Kikoski - She Insists Frank Kimbrough - Tell The Birds I Said Hello Micah Thomas - Van Allen Belt
Built on a simple riff theme throughout, The Afterbeat seems initially to be a relatively straightforward song. However as is often the case with Herbie Nichols, there's plenty of subtle interest in the melody and harmony. The ABCD form does not repeat; though the A, B, and D sections begin with nearly the same first four measures, they each take a different direction in the pickup to the fifth measure. Though the first chord and key signature are B♭ minor, the key center gets a bit less obvious as the song progresses, with both melody and harmony increasingly suggesting E♭ minor (or at times E♭ major). The last chord of the D section (which is extended to 12 measures with a "tag") is E♭13, an ambiguous ending that could be a tonic E♭ or an implied B♭ minor in the upper structure. The beginning of the melody is complemented by a stepwise rising bass line, which is mirrored by descending changes at C.
Our audio excerpt of our exclusive solo piano recording by Jeb Patton begins with the melody pickup; on the recording he sets this up with his own four-measure intro. Jeb interprets this song with a gentle stride feel in the left hand, which works particularly well for the rising half-note bass line at the beginning of the A, B, and D sections. In an ensemble setting, this song would work equally well with a 2-feel or 4-feel.
Our audio excerpt of our exclusive solo piano recording by Jeb Patton begins with the melody pickup; on the recording he sets this up with his own four-measure intro. Jeb interprets this song with a gentle stride feel in the left hand, which works particularly well for the rising half-note bass line at the beginning of the A, B, and D sections. In an ensemble setting, this song would work equally well with a 2-feel or 4-feel.
At our December 16, 2018, Herbie Nichols Piano Summit gathering of eleven pianists who became part of our Herbie Nichols Centennial Project, Frank Kimbrough played the melodies of each of the songs, giving everyone a chance to see one way to interpret them: here you can listen to Frank's interpretation of The Afterbeat. CLIP Frank went through all 24 songs, playing and discussing them in alphabetical order.
There are 24 unrecorded titles making up our Herbie Nichols Centennial Project. Don Sickler's plan was to record the 24 titles as solo piano performances, one title for each pianist, during Nichols' centennial year. After the initial gathering, at which eleven pianists each chose their favorite, Don canvased pianists he knew in the NY area; Jeb Patton was excited to chose his own favorite title.
Hear more of the "The First 6" titles released January 3, 2024.
We don't know when Herbie wrote this song. It's certainly in a similar style to the songs he recorded for Blue Note and Bethlehem in the 1950s.
There are 24 unrecorded titles making up our Herbie Nichols Centennial Project. Don Sickler's plan was to record the 24 titles as solo piano performances, one title for each pianist, during Nichols' centennial year. After the initial gathering, at which eleven pianists each chose their favorite, Don canvased pianists he knew in the NY area; Jeb Patton was excited to chose his own favorite title.
Hear more of the "The First 6" titles released January 3, 2024.
We don't know when Herbie wrote this song. It's certainly in a similar style to the songs he recorded for Blue Note and Bethlehem in the 1950s.
- Recording: Allison / Cardenas / Nash - Tell The Birds I Said Hello
- Recorded on: April 8-9, 2023
- Label: Sonic Camera (SC 2401)
- Concert Key: B-flat minor
- Style: 3/4 swing (medium up)
- Tenor Sax - Ted Nash
- Guitar - Steve Cardenas
- Bass - Ben Allison
Ben Allison, Steve Cardenas, and Ted Nash reimagine The Afterbeat as a 3/4 song. Each measure of 4/4 as written in the original lead sheet is expanded to two measures of 3/4, with the eighth-note pickup phrases becoming quarter notes that land on the downbeat. This trio has as much fun with the song in its new meter as Jeb Patton has in 4/4 (click on the first album cover for his Herbie Nichols Centennial Project version). The changes here are essentially the same as on the lead sheet, with one difference: A♭7 and G♭7 on the seventh and eighth measures of D, instead of E♭7 and A♭7.
In the week around Herbie Nichols’ centennial in 2019, vocalist Fay Victor curated four concerts of Herbie’s music at The Stone at The New School. The first one, on January 2, featured the late pianist Frank Kimbrough with his Jazz Composers Collective quintet, including bassist Ben Allison. This show included the debut performances of two previously unrecorded Herbie Nichols compositions: The Afterbeat and Tell The Birds I Said Hello. On the following day, Herbie’s birthday, Frank was at the Van Gelder Studio to launch our Herbie Nichols Centennial Project by recording the latter of these two songs.
Frank Kimbrough, Ben Allison and saxophonist Ted Nash were all members of the Herbie Nichols Project, which grew out of the Jazz Composers Collective in the ‘90s and released three albums of Nichols songs. The quintet on the 2019 show also featured trumpeter Ron Horton, another member of the Herbie Nichols Project.
Frank Kimbrough, Ben Allison and saxophonist Ted Nash were all members of the Herbie Nichols Project, which grew out of the Jazz Composers Collective in the ‘90s and released three albums of Nichols songs. The quintet on the 2019 show also featured trumpeter Ron Horton, another member of the Herbie Nichols Project.
Herbie Nichols
January 3, 1919 – April 12, 1963
Don Sickler "On January 3, 2019, we were at the Van Gelder Recording Studio celebrating Herbie's 100th birthday with his family and pianists Frank Kimbrough and Glenn Zaleski. Both Frank and Glenn each recorded a previously unrecorded Herbie Nichols composition, on the same piano Herbie played for his Blue Note sessions. These were the initial recordings that started my new project, the Herbie Nichols Centennial Project, which debuts January 3, 2024. Read more...