Nick Katzman (born 1951) is an American blues musician. Katzman was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, and lives in both

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. He plays in a variety of

musical genres This is a list of music genres and styles. Music can be described in terms of many music genre, genres and styles. Classifications are often arbitrary, and may be disputed and closely related forms often overlap. Larger genres and styles comprise ...

, including

Chicago blues Chicago blues is a form of blues music developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of the first half of the twentieth cent ...

, Mississippi blues,

Texas blues Texas blues is blues music from Texas. As a regional style, its original form was characterized by jazz and swing influences. Later examples are often closer to blues rock and Southern rock. History Texas blues began to appear in the early 1900s ...

, and

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott J ...

Biography

As a teenager in the 1960s, Katzman saw many of the surviving country blues guitarists who travelled north to play their music in clubs and at the folk festivals. He learned to lay both guitar and lute. He studied classical music and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

Antioch College Antioch College is a private liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1852 as a non-sectarian institution; politician and education reformer Horace Mann was its ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. His classical influences include Sylvius Leopold Weiss and

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

. His blues music was inspired by a number of musicians, including

Charlie Patton Charley Patton (April 1891 (probable) – April 28, 1934), also known as Charlie Patton, was an American Delta blues musician and songwriter. Considered by many to be the "Father of the Delta Blues", he created an enduring body of American musi ...

, Kid Bailey, and

Mississippi John Hurt John Smith Hurt (March 8, 1893 – November 2, 1966), better known as Mississippi John Hurt, was an American country blues singer and guitarist. Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself to play the guitar around the age of nine. He w ...

. On his own website, Katzman also cites amongst his teachers the blues masters

Mance Lipscomb Mance Lipscomb (April 9, 1895 – January 30, 1976) was an American blues singer, guitarist and songster. He was born Beau De Glen Lipscomb near Navasota, Texas. As a youth he took the name Mance (short for ''emancipation'') from a friend of hi ...

Reverend Gary Davis Reverend Gary Davis, also Blind Gary Davis (born Gary D. Davis, April 30, 1896 – May 5, 1972), was a blues and gospel singer who was also proficient on the banjo, guitar and harmonica. Born in Laurens, South Carolina and blind since infan ...

, Stefan Grossman and

Rory Block Aurora "Rory" Block (born November 6, 1949, in Princeton, New Jersey) is an American blues guitarist and singer, a notable exponent of the country blues style. Career Aurora Block was born in Princeton and grew up in Manhattan. Her father, Allan ...

. About 40 years ago, Katzman moved to Germany to live, tour and perform.

His music

Katzman discussed his musical influences as a mix of various strains of the blues, including Delta blues,

country blues Country blues (also folk blues, rural blues, backwoods blues, or downhome blues) is one of the earliest forms of blues music. The mainly solo vocal with acoustic fingerstyle guitar accompaniment developed in the rural Southern United States in t ...

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

and ''

hokum Hokum is a particular song type of American blues music—a humorous song which uses extended analogies or euphemistic terms to make sexual innuendos. This trope goes back to early blues recordings and is used from time to time in modern Ameri ...

. His music has been described as a "wide range of blues from Delta to Gary Davis."
Katzman's music has been compared to Tom Ball and Rich Stein. He has also been compared favorably with his blues forebears

Blind Blake Arthur Blake (1896 – December 1, 1934), known as Blind Blake, was an American blues and ragtime singer and guitarist. He is known for recordings he made for Paramount Records between 1926 and 1932. Early life Little is known of Blake's life. ...

and The Rev. Gary Davis. Katzman has collaborated with a number of senior Blues musicians, including

Champion Jack Dupree William Thomas "Champion Jack" Dupree (July 23, 1909 or July 4, 1910 – January 21, 1992) was an American blues and boogie-woogie pianist and singer. His nickname was derived from his early career as a boxer. Biography Dupree was a New Orleans ...

, Carey and Lurie Bell, Louisiana Red, and Guitar Crusher. Katzman also has

mentor Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

ed a number of younger musicians, including Thomasina Winslow. He continues to learn to play new instruments, including the lute. In the United States, Katzman often plays at The Good Coffee House at the Ethical Culture Society meeting house in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, New York. He has been based (and currently as of 2007) in

. In May and June 2007, Katzman toured

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

with Winslow, including a headlining appearance at the Stamford, England at the Stamford Arts Centre. He returned to the Good Coffee House in April 2008, with "special guests Paul Handelman on harp and Thomasina Winslow on guitar and vocals."

Discography

Solo, acoustic

* ''Mississippi River Bottom Blues'' (Kicking Mule KM 111) (1975) * ''How to Play Delta Blues Guitar'' (Kicking Mule/Sonet SNKF 112) (1976, UK issue of KM 111) * ''Panic When the Sun Goes Down'' (Kicking Mule/Sonet SNKF 112 (197?, UK re-issue of KM 111) * ''Sparkling Ragtime and Hardbitten Blues'' (Kicking Mule KM 167) (1980)

Solo, electric

* ''Songs and Bloozes'' (Stumble Records)

Producer and compilations

* Guitar Crusher's ''Googa Mooga'' CD (Blue Sting Records) (producer, player) * Eb Davis's ''Good Time Blues'' (Acoustic Music) (producer) * Played with Ruby Green on the two-volume ''The Best Of Kicking Mule'' CD (Laserlight label) and ''Sparkling Ragtime & Hardbitten Blues'', see above * ''Guitarist – Composer Sampler'' (Kicking Mule 1997) * Artist Direct

References

External links

Official website, has a playerRhapsody web site playerRhapsody web site playerMP3 PlayerAOL page(Katzman's May 6 2011 gig in Brooklyn, NY)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Katzman 1951 births Living people American blues singers American blues guitarists American male guitarists Antioch College alumni 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians