Bio
Dan Nicholas is a New York City based guitarist, composer and band leader. Nicholas' playing is deeply rooted in Bebop and swing with a bluesy edge. In addition to jazz, he draws inpiration from RnB, soul, classical music, rock and roll, and a variety of Brazilian music and other music from around the globe. He is is often found leading hard driving quintets, grooving in soulful organ based groups, playing impressionistic solo guitar, or providing empathetic accompaniment to vocalists. In a diverse career he has worked with the likes of Jeremy Pelt, Ed Cherry, Joy Brown, Gary Smulyan, Mike LeDonne and Grant Stewart, among many others.
Nicholas spent his formative years studying with piano legend Dr. Barry Harris while immersing himself in New York City’s iconic jazz scene. In the early 2000s he moved to Europe, where he performed in all manor of venues and festivals including The North Sea Jazz Festival, London’s Ronnie Scott’s and The Duc Des Lombards in Paris. While living in Holland, he ran an extremely popular jazz concert series at multiple venues, featuring such artists as Dr. Barry Harris, and the Larry Goldings/Peter Bernstein/Bill Stewart trio.
During this period Dan Nicholas was also the musical director and arranger for legendary vocalist Marjorie Barnes (of Fifth Dimension fame) and her backing band Equinox. Barnes performed and recorded a number of Dan Nicholas' original songs and arrangements with the group, which performed at festivals in Cannes, Athens and the Cork Jazz Fest in Ireland.
Nicholas returned to the USA in 2020. He currently resides in New York City where he performs regularly with some of the city's finest. He also spends several months a year in Maine, where In addition to performing he is also the organizer of the popular "Roots In Motion" concert series, which has featured such artists as Jeremy Pelt, Ed Cherry, Benito Gonzales, and Johnny O'Neal.