Mem'ries Of A Lady – Herbie Nichols

This elegant, lyrical song has several qualities in common with Herbie Nichols’ most widely-known composition Lady Sings The Blues. The melodic themes of these songs have a similar contour, and both use parallel major and minor tonalities to create a bittersweet mood. Mem’ries Of A Lady is distinctive for its irregular form: 11-measure A, 8-measure B, and 12-measure C sections. C starts similarly to A but beginning in minor instead of major, with a bluesy closing statement.

This song’s subtle melodic and harmonic details make it particularly fascinating, especially in the choice of harmonizing certain notes with the chords’ upper extensions. In his recording, Jeremy Manasia really showcases all of these tasteful choices. His dramatic solo piano arrangement gives plenty of definition to the form, taking many different approaches to the various melody phrases. He starts rubato and settles into a slow swing tempo; the out head leads to a bluesy vamp on the last two chords.