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Clovis Nicolas

Jazz bassist graduated from Juilliard living and performing in New York City for the past 20 years.

About Me

After having established himself as a first-call bass player on the European scene (performances with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Brad Mehldau, Michel Legrand,..), jazz bassist Clovis Nicolas moved from France to New York in 2002. Since then, he has shared the stage in numerous venues (Jazz Standard, Smalls Jazz Club, Blue Note, 55 Bar, Kennedy Center, Smoke, Jazz Gallery, Birdland, Alice Tully Hall, Dizzy’s Club...) with some of today's most prominent jazz musicians, such as Grant Stewart, Jeremy Pelt, Branford Marsalis, Curtis Fuller, Benny Powell, James Williams, Peter Bernstein, Joe Magnarelli, Marcus Gilmore, Simon Shaheen, Kenny Washington, Jane Monheit, and Dan Nimmer.

He is featured on more than 40 critically acclaimed recordings, including Bruce Harris' “Beginnings”, Behn Gillece “Walk of Fire” (with saxophonist Walt Weiskopf), Belmondo’s “Hymne au Soleil” which won three Jazz Grammy Awards in 2004 and sold more than 20,000 copies, Samora Pinderhughes' “Transformations Suite” (Jazz album of the year on Apple Music).

In addition to those Clovis Nicolas recorded his music on three albums under his name and started a fruitful collaboration with Sunnyside Records. “Nine Stories” was released in 2014 and selected in the Best Albums of the Year by Downbeat Magazine; followed by “Freedom Suite Ensuite” in 2018 with drummer Kenny Washington, paying tribute to Sonny Rollins' iconic masterpiece; then “Autoportrait” in 2021, a solo bass album that earned critics awards such as a CHOC Jazz Magazine (highest distinction). The latest one, “The Contrapuntist”, released in 2023 features an original string quartet adapted for a Jazz quartet with Jeremy Pelt (tp), Sullivan Fortner (p), Bill Stewart (drums) and the bassist/composer.

Clovis graduated from the prestigious Juilliard School with a Bachelor and a Master of Music, and has been touring extensively for performances and master classes in South and North America through the school’s educational outreach program with Frank Kimbrough, Carl Allen, Rodney Jones, Donald Vega. Clovis was also featured in a Ron Carter concert tribute in Alice Tully Hall, performing with such guests as Herbie Hancock, Hubert Laws, Russell Malone, Mulgrew Miller, Lewis Nash, Benny Golson and Buster Williams.