Reginald "Reggie" Nicholson (born July 17, 1957) is an American

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 major ...

drummer. Nicholson took a bachelor's degree in percussion performance at

Chicago State University Chicago State University (CSU) is a predominantly black public university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1867 as the Cook County Normal School, it was an innovative teachers college. Eventually the Chicago Public Schools assumed control of t ...

and became a member of the

Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1965 in Chicago by pianist Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran. The AACM is devot ...

in 1979, working early in his career with Ed Wilkerson. In the 1980s he played with

Amina Claudine Myers Amina Claudine Myers (born March 21, 1942) is an American jazz pianist, organist, vocalist, composer, and arranger. Biography Born in Blackwell, Arkansas, "Myers was brought up largely by her great-aunt, a schoolteacher, and her great-uncle, a c ...

Henry Threadgill Henry Threadgill (born February 15, 1944) is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist. He came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles rooted in jazz but with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating other genres of music. He h ...

, and Ernest Dawkins; he relocated to New York City in 1988 but continued his associations with Threadgill and Dawkins there. For much of the 1990s he worked with

Myra Melford Myra Melford (born January 5, 1957) is an American avant-garde jazz pianist and composer. A 2013 Guggenheim Fellow, Melford was described by the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' as an "explosive player, a virtuoso who shocks and soothes, and who can m ...

, and also worked in that decade with

Muhal Richard Abrams Muhal Richard Abrams (born Richard Lewis Abrams; September 19, 1930 – October 29, 2017) was an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the free jazz medium. He recorded and toured the Uni ...

, Michael Marcus, Roy Campbell,

Wilber Morris Wilber Morris (November 27, 1937 - August 8, 2002) was an American jazz double bass player and bandleader. He was the brother of the cornetist, composer, and conductor Butch Morris.Allmusic/ref> Wilber Morris recorded widely, and performed with ...

Don Pullen Don Gabriel Pullen (December 25, 1941 – April 22, 1995) was an American jazz pianist and organist. Pullen developed a strikingly individual style throughout his career. He composed pieces ranging from blues to bebop and modern jazz. The great ...

, Billy Bang,

Charles Gayle Charles Gayle (born February 28, 1939) is an American free jazz musician. Initially known as a saxophonist who came to prominence in the 1990s after decades of obscurity, Gayle also performs as pianist, bass clarinetist, bassist, and percussioni ...

, Leroy Jenkins,

Thomas Chapin Thomas Chapin (March 9, 1957 – February 13, 1998) was an American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist. Though primarily an alto saxophonist, he also played sopranino, as well as soprano, tenor, baritone saxes and flute. Many o ...

Reuben Wilson Reuben Wilson (born April 9, 1935) is a jazz organist. He performs soul jazz and acid jazz, and is best known for his title track "Got to Get Your Own". He was born in Mounds, Oklahoma and his family moved to Pasadena when he was 5. He played in ...

, and

Jim Nolet Jim Nolet (born 1961) is an American jazz violinist, artist, performer, and educator known internationally as a composer/improviser in world and jazz idioms. He has a particular interest in the music of Brazil. He has performed in the United Sta ...

Discography

As leader/co-leader

*''...You See What We're Sayin'?'' (CIMP, 1999) BMN Trio: with

Thomas Borgmann Thomas Borgmann, born in 1955 in Münster, is a German musician (tenor, soprano, and Sopranino saxophone) and composer of Jazz, free Jazz, and free improvisation music. Biography Borgmann began his career in the early 1980s, working mainly ...

and

*''Drum String Thing'' (CIMP, 2000) with Wilber Morris *''Unnecessary Noise Allowed'' (Abstract, 1997) as The Reggie Nicholson Concept *''Timbre Suite'' (Abstract Recordings, 2008) with Percussion Concept *''Live at Tunnel'' (Qbico, 2009) BMN Trio with Thomas Borgmann and Wilber Morris *''Nasty & Sweet'' (NoBusiness, 2013) with Thomas Borgmann and Wilber Morris

As sideman

With

*''

Family Talk ''Family Talk'' is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1993 and features performances of six of Abrams compositions by Abrams, Jack Walrath, Patience Higgins, Brad Jones, Warren Smith and Reggie Nicholso ...

'' (Black Saint, 1993) *''

Think All, Focus One ''Think All, Focus One'' is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams which was released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1995 and features performances of seven of Abrams' compositions by Abrams, Eddie Allen, David Gilmore, Eugene Ghee, Alfred Patt ...

'' (Black Saint, 1994

995 Year 995 ( CMXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * 17 May - Fujiwara no Michitaka (imperial regent) dies. * 3 June: Fujiwara no Michikane gain ...

*''

Song for All ''Song for All'' is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams which was released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1997 and features performances of eight of Abrams' compositions by Abrams, Eddie Allen, Craig Harris, Eugene Ghee, Alfred Patterson, Br ...

'' (Black Saint, 1995

997 Year 997 (Roman numerals, CMXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * 1 February: Empress Teishi gives birth to Princess Shushi - she is the first ...

*'' One Line, Two Views'' (New World, 1995) With

Anthony Braxton Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Chica ...

*''Trillium R'' (Braxton House, 1999) With Roy Campbell *'' La Tierra del Fuego'' (Delmark, 1994) *'' Communion'' (Silkheart, 1995) With

*'' You Don't Know Me'' (Arabesque, 1995) *''Never Let Me Go: Quartets '95 & '96'' (Playscape, 2012) With Yuko Fujiyama *''Re-entry'' (CIMP, 2001) With

*''Always Born'' (Silkheart, 1988) With

Lindsey Horner Lindsey Horner (born October 4, 1960, New York City) is an American jazz double-bassist. Horner studied double bass at the Juilliard School of Music as well as musicology and philosophy at Trinity College (Dublin). He also took private lessons wi ...

*''Never No More'' (Open Minds, 1991) With Leroy Jenkins *''

Leroy Jenkins Live! ''Leroy Jenkins Live!'' is a live album by violinist / composer Leroy Jenkins. It was recorded in March 1992 at P.S. 122 in New York City, and was released by Black Saint in 1993. On the album, Jenkins is joined by guitarist Brandon Ross, synthes ...

'' (Black Saint, 1993) With

*''Jump'' (Enemy, 1990) *''Now & Now'' (Enemy, 1992) *'' Alive in the House of Saints'' (hat ART, 1993) *'' Even the Sounds Shine'' (hat ART, 1995) With Butch Morris *''Testament: A Conduction Collection - Conduction 38: In Freud's Garden / Conduction 39: Thread Waxing Space / Conduction 40: Thread Waxing Space'' (New World, 1995) With

*'' Jumping in the Sugar Bowl'' (Minor Music, 1984) *''Country Girl'' (Minor Music, 1986) *''Amina'' (RCA Novus, 1987) *''In Touch'' (RCA Novus, 1989) *''Women in (E)Motion'' (Tradition & Moderne, 1993) With Ernest Dawkins New Horizons Ensemble *''After the Dawn Has Risen'' (Open Minds, 1992) *'' Chicago Now Vol. 1'' (Slikheart, 1994

*'' Chicago Now Vol. 2'' (Slikheart, 1994

With Shadow Vignettes *''Birth of a Notion'' (Sessoms, 1986) With

Malachi Thompson Malachi Richard Thompson (August 21, 1949, Princeton, Kentucky — July 16, 2006), was an American avant-garde jazz trumpet player. In addition to his own work as a bandleader, Thompson was known for his work in the brass ensemble led by fellow tr ...

*''

Talking Horns ''Talking Horns'' is an album by the American jazz trumpeter Malachi Thompson recorded and released by the Delmark label in 2001.Hamiet Bluiett Hamiet Bluiett (; September 16, 1940 – October 4, 2018) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. His primary instrument was the baritone saxophone, and he was considered one of the finest players of this instrument. A mem ...

and

Oliver Lake Oliver Lake (born September 14, 1942) is an American jazz saxophonist, flutist, composer, poet, and visual artist. He is known mainly for alto saxophone, but he also performs on soprano and flute. During the 1960s, Lake worked with the Black ...

With

*'' You Know the Number'' (RCA Novus, 1986) *'' Easily Slip Into Another World'' (RCA Novus, 1987) *''

Rag, Bush and All ''Rag, Bush and All'' is an album by Henry Threadgill released on the RCA Novus label in 1989. The album and features four of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill's Sextett with Bill Lowe, Ted Daniel, Fred Hopkins, Diedre Murray, ...

'' (RCA Novus, 1989) *'' Song Out of My Trees'' (Black Saint, 1994) With Variable Density Sound Orchestra *''Evolving Strategies'' (Not Two, 2014) With Edward Wilkerson *''Light on the Path'' (Sound Aspects, 1994) With Stefan Winter *''Die Kleine Trompete / The Little Trumpet'' (JMT, 1986)

References

*Gary W. Kennedy, "Reggie Nicholson". '' The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz''. 2nd edition, ed.

Barry Kernfeld Barry Dean Kernfeld (born August 11, 1950) is an American musicologist and jazz saxophonist who has researched and published extensively about the history of jazz and the biographies of its musicians. Education In 1968, Kernfeld enrolled at U ...

, 2004. American jazz drummers Musicians from Chicago 1957 births Living people 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Jazz musicians from Illinois 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians {{jazz-musician-stub