Herbie Nichols (January 3, 1919 in New York City ? April 12, 1963), was an American jazz pianist and composer. Obscure during his lifetime, he is now highly regarded by many musicians and critics. During much of Nichols life he was forced to take work as a Dixieland musician instead of playing the more adventurous kind of jazz he preferred. He performed originally in bop groups, but is best known today for his own highly original compositions, program music which combines bop, Dixieland, and West Indian music with harmonies derived from Erik Satie and Béla Bartók.