Pianist Herbie Nichols was born on this day (January 3) in New York City in 1919. An overlooked genius, Nichols was a virtuosic piano player whose original compositions — including today's Song of the Day, "Lady Sings The Blues" — revealed an immense talent for rhythmic ingenuity, harmonic adventurousness and indomitable swing. Though he never rose to the popularity of contemporaries like Thelonious Monk or Bud Powell, his unique style would come to influence a generation of young players who grew up listening to his quietly brilliant recordings on Blue Note Records.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de4vD4HiATI
