Acclaimed vocalist-lyricist-arranger FAY VICTOR & her Herbie Nichols SUNG Quartet celebrate the rich legacy of jazz composer Herbie Nichols anew and bring it singing and swinging boldly into this century.

Victor’s Life is Funny That Way (released in April 2024) is Herbie Nichols project like no other, including all original lyrics that Victor’s wrote alongside exciting approaches to presenting Nichols’ compositions never heard on record before. Herbie Nichols SUNG seeks to combine improvisation inside and outside of the compositions, playing up the pure joy inherent in Herbie Nichols music. The release of Life is Funny That Way is a historic and landmark project to boot, featuring lyrics written to Nichols compositions for a full project for the first time, similar to Carmen MCrae Sings Monk (1990). On a deeply personal note, Nichols and Victor share Caribbean roots from Trinidad where Nichols’ father and Victor’s mother were born. This spirit is in the expression of the music on the album and in performance. Herbie Nichols SUNG is a strong, important and unique reflection of Herbie Nichols’ compositions alongside Victor sound and vision for play.

“An avant-garde Nina Simone with the performance punch of Betty Carter, Victor’s unabashed acrobatics mesmerize…”

— Andy Cowan, MOJO Magazine

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