George Walker "Big Nick" Nicholas (August 2, 1922 – October 29, 1997) was 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 majo ...

saxophonist and singer. Strongly influenced by his hero,

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first p ...

, Nicholas in turn influenced a young

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and rai ...

to compose his tribute "Big Nick", included on the 1962 album '' Duke Ellington & John Coltrane''.Allmusic.com
/ref> Nicholas contributed the 16-bar solo to Dizzy Gillespie's classic African-Cuban jazz piece "Manteca" (1947). At that time, he also started playing with

Hot Lips Page Oran Thaddeus "Hot Lips" Page (January 27, 1908 – November 5, 1954) was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader. He was known as a scorching soloist and powerful vocalist. Page was a member of Walter Page's Blue Devils, Artie Sh ...

, a working relationship that continued until 1954. He joined

Buck Clayton Wilbur Dorsey "Buck" Clayton (November 12, 1911 – December 8, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter who was a member of Count Basie's orchestra. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong, first hearing the record "Confessin' That I Love You" ...

in 1955. Nicholas started playing with Hank and

Thad Jones Thaddeus Joseph Jones (March 28, 1923 – August 20, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader who has been called "one of the all-time greatest jazz trumpet soloists". Biography Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan, ...

, Earl Hines, and

Tiny Bradshaw Myron Carlton "Tiny" Bradshaw (September 23, 1907 – November 26, 1958)
- accessed July 2010 was an American

before going into the army and, on being discharged in the late 1940s, he worked with bands led by

Sabby Lewis William Sebastian "Sabby" Lewis (November 1, 1914 in Middleburg, North Carolina – July 9, 1994) was an American jazz pianist, band leader, and arranger. Biography Lewis was born in Middleburg, North Carolina, United States, but was raised in Phi ...

J. C. Heard James Charles Heard (August 10, 1917 – September 27, 1988) was an American swing, bop, and blues drummer. Biography Heard was born in Dayton, Ohio and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. As a young child, he performed as a tap dancer in amat ...

, and

Lucky Millinder Lucius Venable "Lucky" Millinder (August 8, 1910 – September 28, 1966) was an American swing and rhythm-and-blues bandleader. Although he could not read or write music, did not play an instrument and rarely sang, his showmanship and musical ...

. He went on to play with

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was ba ...

Cab Calloway Cabell Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocali ...

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

, and

Charlie Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and ...

.Thedeadrockstarsclub.com
- accessed November 9, 2011 Nicholas died of heart failure in October 1997 at the age of 75.

Discography

As leader

*1984: ''Big and Warm'' ( India Navigation) *1985: ''Big Nick'' (India Navigation)

As sideman

* 1951 ''Trombone by Three'',

Bennie Green Bennie Green (April 16, 1923 – March 23, 1977) was an American jazz trombonist. Born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, Green worked in the orchestras of Earl Hines and Charlie Ventura, and recorded as bandleader through the 1950s and ...

* 1952 ''In Paris'', Dizzy Gillespie * 1952 ''Modern Jazz Trombone Series Vol. 2'',

J.J. Johnson J.J. Johnson (January 22, 1924 – February 4, 2001), born James Louis Johnson and also known as Jay Jay Johnson, was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. Johnson was one of the earliest trombonists to embrace bebop. Biography ...

* 1956 ''Jazz Spectacular'',

* 1956 ''Trombone by Three'', Bennie Green/J.J. Johnson/ Kai Winding * 2001 ''1946–1950'',

* 2001 ''Manteca'', Dizzy Gillespie * 2002 ''Bebop Professor'', Dizzy Gillespie * 2002 ''Go Ahead and Blow'', Bennie Green * 2003 ''1944–1950: It's Magic'', Sarah Vaughan * 2005 ''Memories of You'',

Illinois Jacquet Jean-Baptiste "Illinois" Jacquet (October 30, 1922 – July 22, 2004) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on "Flying Home", critically recognized as the first R&B saxophone solo. Although he was a pioneer of t ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholas, Big Nick 1922 births 1997 deaths American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Jazz-blues saxophonists American jazz singers India Navigation artists Musicians from Lansing, Michigan 20th-century American singers Jazz musicians from Michigan 20th-century American saxophonists Singers from Michigan 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians