Blue Gambit – Herbie Nichols

The varied rhythms, tasteful harmonies, and intricate melodic shapes of Blue Gambit make it a Herbie Nichols classic. The changes are relatively straightforward, with plenty of room for the melody to move around both in chromatic slides and wide-interval slinks. This song has a 42-measure AABC form, with 10-measure A sections and eight-measure B; C is similar to A but extended to 14 measures. As with several other Nichols songs, the end of the form is an unanswered question, landing on F7 which resolves back to Gmaj7 for the beginning of the next chorus.

Joey Alexander’s version for the Herbie Nichols Centennial Project is a creative solo piano arrangement. There’s an eight-measure vamp intro, and exciting rhythmic fills around the long notes of the melody. There are a few differences in his version from the written melody, as well some added reharmonization—notably B♭m7 in the 7th measure of the bridge instead of the written A minor, going to Am7 and D7 in the 8th measure. Joey solos on a four-measure vamp instead of the head changes, but these can certainly be used for soloing.

A second audio clip of the head is available by pianist Jake Sasfai [clip], presenting the melody and changes as written. This version also has a distinctive arrangement, with single-line left-hand fills around the melody.