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.