Fay Victor, Herbie Nichols SUNG - Life Is Funny That Way (2024) Hi Res

Life Is Funny That Way is the major new work from acclaimed and singular singer-soundartist-lyricist-bandleader Fay Victor. It is both a loving celebration and thorough reconsideration of jazz composer Herbie Nichols' rich legacy & a powerful work of art from a formidably talented and forthright black woman. This landmark work is also the first time that a full program of lyrics have been written & recorded for Nichols’ compositions. Victor's innovative arrangements are brought to vibrant life by Herbie Nichols SUNG, a dedicated and profoundly gifted quintet of veteran jazz performers.

Nearly 30 years ago while living in the Netherlands, Victor discovered and was captivated by Nichols’ music in the collection of her future husband. She first began to explore the concept of singing this tremendous work with Dutch pianist Misha Mengelberg and then together with trombonist and one-time Nichols collaborator Roswell Rudd.

It was in 2013 that Fay Victor formed the Herbie Nichols SUNG project with American players and began to present it regularly in NYC, adding to a European trio version that had already toured the continent. This deep and extensive artistic journey which Victor embarked on, alongside leading other acclaimed bands and recording projects of all- original material, led to the involvement of the TAO Forms label. Its creative director drummer Whit Dickey not only shared a great appreciation of Nichols’ singular work as a composer, but was also a long-time fan of the exceptionally gifted Victor.

Recalling her first experience of hearing Nichols' music, Victor says, “I put the record on and it sounded very strange to me. But then I heard “House Party Starting”. That was the one, that just sent something through my soul. I was blown away by that composition, and decided then and there that I want to learn this, I want to be able to sing this. And at that moment, I couldn’t. There was definitely some technical work I needed to do. It was great to have that challenge, and I was determined.” [ "Tonight" is Victor's ultimate realization. }

A decade later and clearly ready, Life Is Funny That Way was recorded with the long-devoted veterans of Herbie Nichols SUNG: Michaël Attias (alto & baritone saxophones), Anthony Coleman (piano), Ratzo Harris (bass), and relatively new addition Tom Rainey (drums). A tremendous group to be sure; united by their mutual love of both Nichols’ writing and Victor’s estimable artistry.

She and her band’s work was exquisitely captured & mixed by engineer Andy Taub at his Brooklyn Recording studio.

The source material comes from Nichols’ Blue Note sessions of 1955-56, plus three compositions not recorded in his lifetime.

The album’s material is wide-ranging in mood, from the puckish opening title track and abstracted “The Culprit Is You” (both with the full band) to the dark voice-alto-bass explorations of “Bright Butterfly” and a ghostly voice-alto-piano reworking of “The Spinning Song”, aptly titled “Descent Into Madness”.

“Shuffle Montgomery” has Victor scatting ebulliently over the full band with Attias on baritone, while “Twelve Bars”, another tune unrecorded by Nichols, is a feature for the piano trio.

In addition to fêting Nichols, Victor takes the opportunity to celebrate the person who gave him his greatest exposure. Billie Holiday was the first to write lyrics for one of his tunes, “Serenade”, making it one of her signature works: “Lady Sings The Blues”. As Victor explains, “I chose to include this song because I think about the audience a lot. If anybody knows Nichols at all, they know this song. But the other thing is that when Billie sang his song, she didn’t sing his bridge. So I wanted to sing the lyrics with his bridge. That was important to me. I wanted people to know what the complete composition sounded like. Those are great lyrics Billie Holiday wrote and it’s also an homage to her because sometimes I feel that she doesn’t get her full due in terms of how incredible a musician she was, how visionary she was.”