Home » Jazz Musicians » Nick Vayenas

Nick Vayenas

Trombonist, trumpeter, and composer Nick Vayenas has been a mainstay on the music scene for the past 15 years.  Based in New York City, Nick has worked in a variety of settings both as a sideman and leader.  Originally from Boston, Vayenas started his music studies at age 12.  He earned scholarships to attend Berklee College of Music, the Manhattan School of Music and the Thelonious Monk Institute, which were key to his technical development as a musician and composer.  Vayenas studied with such jazz luminaries as trombonists Hal Crook, Conrad Herwig, Bill Watrous, David Taylor, Phil Wilson, and Steve Turre, as well as trumpeters Terence Blanchard, Greg Hopkins, and Vince Penzarella.

Since 2003, Nick has been a member of the horn for section for Grammy® Award-winning recording artist Michael Bublé. He has performed on several Michael Bublé recordings, including Crazy Love, Nobody But Me, and the Grammy® Award- winning Michael Bublé Meets Madison Square Garden.  Nick has also worked and recorded with prominent artists such as Josh Groban, Bryan Adams, David Foster, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Scott, Aaron Parks, Lionel Loueke, Patrick Cornelius, Dayna Stephens, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Terence Blanchard and Gretchen Parlato. Television performances include the Tonight Show, Late Show with David Letterman, Today Show, Oprah, Ellen and Saturday Night Live. He has performed at the Umbria Jazz, Montreal Jazz, and St. Lucia Jazz Festivals, and at venues such as Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, Sydney Opera House, Royal Albert Hall, Blue Note Jazz Club and Ronnie Scott's.  Nick is also a sought after teacher and clinician and has given workshops around the world on behalf of Conn/Selmer musical instruments.  

In 2009, Vayenas became a leader in his own right, releasing his acclaimed debut album, Synesthesia, on drummer Kendrick Scott’s World Culture Music label.  "A well conceived album and more than casually ambitious", wrote Nate Chinen of the New York Times.  In 2012, he returned with his sophomore release, Nick Vayenas, on Whirlwind Recordings. The recording displayed his astonishing breadth of skills on trombone, trumpet, and vocals as well as his unique composing and arranging style.  "One of the most impressive of Whirlwind issues, showcasing a multi-talented individual likely to appeal to a wide constituency of jazz fans, 4 stars", said Jazz Journal.  Nick’s latest album Flow Motion will be released in early 2017 and features him teaming up with saxophonists Dayna Stephens and Patrick Cornelius on a set of original music.  

Read more

Tags

3
Album Review

Vicki Burns: Lotus Blossom Days

Read "Lotus Blossom Days" reviewed by Richard J Salvucci


Who knew “Del Sasser" had lyrics? Part of the joy of listening to new recordings is finding such things out. And Vicki Burns does a convincing job of it. In this intriguing compilation of standards--yes, musicians can record from the Great American Songbook (GAS) without disgracing themselves, no matter what anyone says--bop heads and originals, Vicki Burns acquits herself admirably. She is solid evidence that the singer makes the song, rather than the other way around. ...

5
Album Review

Vicki Burns: Lotus Blossom Days

Read "Lotus Blossom Days" reviewed by Jeff Winbush


Whatever else can be said about jazz, there is little disagreement that it is best experienced in a live setting. Listening to Vicki Burns' Lotus Blossom Days is as close to a front-row seat in a New York nightclub as many of us are likely to get in these times of high fuel costs and crowded airports. Burns is not attempting to blow the roof off with vocal gyrations and tricks. She never oversings as she tries to ...

636
Interview

Nick Vayenas: First Steps

Read "Nick Vayenas: First Steps" reviewed by Franz A. Matzner


Soft spoken, straightforward, and possessed of a pleasantly down to earth sense of humor, trombonist Nick Vayenas' speech reflects well his musical approach--deliberate, unassuming, mellow, and deceptively layered.Candid about his stature as a young composer and player still just starting out, Vayenas discusses the genesis of his musical approach; what he learned putting together his debut album Synesthesia (World Culture Music, 2008), which he shaped from composition to final production and mixing; and what he sees as the ...

191
Live Review

Nick Vayenas & World Culture Music at The Tribeca Performing Arts Center, NYC

Read "Nick Vayenas & World Culture Music at The Tribeca Performing Arts Center, NYC" reviewed by Budd Kopman


Nick Vayenas & World Culture MusicThe Tribeca Performing Arts CenterNew York City, New YorkMay 21, 2008 World Culture Music is an artists' collective music label founded by drummer Kendrick Scott. This concert was split into two halves, the first a showcase for the albums by the members of the collective, including vocalist/composer Julie Hardy (The Wish (2007)), guitarist Mike Moreno (Between The Lines (2007)), and Scott himself (The Source (2007)); and the second a ...

271
Album Review

Nick Vayenas: Synesthesia

Read "Synesthesia" reviewed by Greg Camphire


Trombonist and multi-instrumentalist Nick Vayenas unveils a colorful palette of ideas on Synesthesia, his debut as a leader. Vayenas and his band mates chart their own course, albeit one that uses musical maps drawn up by the Herbie Hancock Sextet on such albums as Mwandishi (Warner Bros., 1970) and Sextant (Columbia, 1972), with the resulting path fusing elements of jazz, funk, rock and electronics while bypassing the dated connotations of the fusion label.

The energetic opening track, “Voyager," makes sparing ...

Read more articles
5

Contest

Enter the "Nick Vayenas - Some Other Time" Giveaway at All About Jazz!

Enter the "Nick Vayenas - Some Other Time" Giveaway at All About Jazz!

Source: All About Jazz

All About Jazz members are invited to enter the Whirlwind Recordings “Nick Vayenas - Some Other Time“ giveaway contest starting today. We'll select TEN winners at the conclusion of the contest on June 9th. Click here to enter the contest (Tracking Nick Vayenas at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.) Good luck! Your Friends at Whirlwind Recordings About Some Other Time “Nick Vayenas is one of those rare finds. A person who will redefine the role of ...

121

Interview

Trombonist Nick Vayenas Interviewed at AAJ

Trombonist Nick Vayenas Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz

Soft spoken, straightforward, and possessed of a pleasantly down to earth sense of humor, trombonist Nick Vayenas' speech reflects well his musical approach--deliberate, unassuming, mellow, and deceptively layered.

Candid about his stature as a young composer and player still just starting out, Vayenas discusses the genesis of his musical approach with AAJ Contributor Franz Matzner in Nick Vayenas: First Steps. He also delves into lessons learned putting together his debut album Synesthesia (World Culture Music, 2008), which he shaped from ...

53

Performance / Tour

World Culture Music Presents the CD Release Celebration for Trombonist/Composer Nick Vayenas' "Synesthesia"

World Culture Music Presents the CD Release Celebration for Trombonist/Composer Nick Vayenas' "Synesthesia"

Source: Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity

World Culture Music Presents The CD Release Celebration for Trombonist/Composer NICK VAYENAS' Synesthesia With Kendrick Scott (drums), Gerald Clayton (piano), Fabian Almazan (synth), Matt Clohesy (bass), Patrick Cornelius (alto saxophone) Opening For Vayenas will be fellow World Culture Music Artists Kendrick Scott, Mike Moreno and Julie Hardy! Live at THE TRIBECA PAC WEDNESDAY, MAY 21 - 8:00 PM, TKTS are $15 To order tickets click on www.tribecapac.org/music.htm or call the box office at 212 220 1460. The BMCC Tribeca Performing ...

236

Recording

Kendrick Scott's World Culture Music Proudly Announces the Release of Trombonist/Composer Nick Vayenas' Debut Album, Synesthesia

Kendrick Scott's World Culture Music Proudly Announces the Release of Trombonist/Composer Nick Vayenas' Debut Album, Synesthesia

Source: Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity

Kendrick Scott's World Culture Music Proudly Announces The Release of Trombonist/Composer Nick Vayenas' Debut Album, Synesthesia In Stores and Online on February 26, 2008 Synesthesia |_sin_s__ zh _| ( Brit. synaesthesia) noun Physiology & Psychology o the production of a sense impression relating to one sense or part of the body by stimulation of another sense or part of the body. o the poetic description of a sense impression in terms of another sense, as in “a loud perfume" or ...

“A young composer finding a new sound all his own.” – Jazz Times Magazine

“This album is well conceived and more than casually ambitious.” – Nate Chinen, The New York Times

"This is one of the most impressive of recent Whirlwind issues, showcasing a multi-talented individual likely to appeal to a wide constituency of jazz fans, 4 stars." - Jazz Journal

"Mr. Vayenas is a man of many talents – he plays tasty trumpet, fulsome trombone and he sings too...this is a very well played album...Stardust is effective – the highish vocal is suave and smooth against a more urgent Lionel Loueke and percussion rhythm. Add some nicely accented phrasing and a richly melodic trombone solo and the standard tune meets Vayenas’s contemporary attitudes in accord...the band is classy." - Jazz Breakfast

Read more

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Some Other Time

Whirlwind Recordings
2013

buy

Synesthesia

World Culture Music
2008

buy

Assembly Line

From: Some Other Time
By Nick Vayenas

Videos

Similar

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.