Allison, Cardenas, and Nash Celebrate the Release of: 'Tell the Birds I Said Hello - The Music of Herbie Nichols' Following the trio’s previous release, Healing Power – The Music of Carla Bley (2022 Sunnyside/Sonic Camera), which is closing in on two million streams on Apple Music, the cooperative trio of bassist Ben Allison, guitarist Steve Cardenas, and saxophonist Ted Nash turns its attention to the ever-surprising music of the under-recognized pianist-composer Herbie Nichols (1919-1963). The album features six previously unheard compositions, along with reworkings of two tunes first recorded by The Herbie Nichols Project in 2000 (Strange City, Palmetto). The trio is modeled after reed player/composer Jimmy Giuffre’s drummerless units of the 1950s and 60s. Ben, Ted and Steve take turns arranging and composing for the ensemble, which has released three albums, Quiet Revolution (2018 Sonic Camera), Somewhere Else - West Side Story Songs (2019 Plastic Sax), and Healing Power - The Music of Carla Bley (2022 Sunnyside/Sonic Camera). In the late 1950s, as jazz was becoming more expressionistic and at times bombastic, musicians like Giuffre and guitarist/composer Jim Hall were going in the opposite direction. They were envisioning quieter music that maintained elements of blues and folk, while also embracing the emerging qualities of free playing. Against the backdrop of over 20 years of creative collaboration between Ben, Steve, and Ted this trio communicates on a very high level, effortlessly weaving musical conversations that are full of subtlety and surprise.