Change Of Season (The Music Of Herbie Nichols)

“After recording an album (Regeneration) split between Herbie Nichols and Thelonious Monk compositions, pianist Misha Mengelberg decided to devote a full project to the unjustly neglected Nichols. As with the earlier set, this date also includes soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy and drummer Han Bennink, but this time with trombonist George Lewis and bassist Arjen Gorter. For the first time, seven of Nichols' songs (including "House Party Starting," "Hangover Triangle," and "Change of Season") were performed by a medium-size group, rather than just Nichols' trio, and one can appreciate the formerly unheard colors in the pianist's nearly lost music. It is also a particular pleasure hearing Lewis and Lacy improvising on these challenging, yet fairly straight-ahead pieces. A gem.”   (source: AllMusic.com, S. Yanow)

"Robert Frost once characterized free verse as 'playing tennis with the net down'. Improvisers like Dutchmen Mengelberg and Bennink have been very largely concerned with putting the net back, sometimes up to badminton height, searching for ways of combining the freedoms of improvisation with traditional jazz and even more formal structures. The collectivism that was so strong a component of the Dutch '60s avant-garde is evident in the autonomy granted to the performers on CHANGE OF SEASON."  (source: The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD - Eighth Edition)

(Also available on LP)