Photo © Stephan Schmidt
NICK LYONS, alto saxophone
Nick Lyons is an improvising alto saxophonist and composer from New York City. Since settling in Brooklyn in 2005 he has earned a reputation among peers for his musical imagination and original approach to playing both standard tunes and pure improvisation.
Time Out NY called him “A young jazzer to watch”.
In 2022 he toured as a solo performer in Denmark and Germany, participated in 2 residencies in France and 1 in the US with the Paris-based group Mobke, appeared on 2 CD releases, “Triple Exposure” under his own name with Gene Perla and John McCutcheon and “Another Spring” with vocalist Cheryl Richards, performed often with bassist Adam Lane’s quartet, performed with pianist Harvey Diamond and bassist Cameron Brown.
At the onset of the lockdown in 2020 he joined “Concerts from Cars” a Brooklyn-based improvising ensemble which traveled the streets of NYC as a car caravan and performed from the street. The group was featured in multiple news outlets in April, 2020.
He has performed at clubs all over New York including Smalls, Dizzy’s, The Stone, 55 Bar, Cafe Bohemia, Barbès, Ibeam.
His discography includes sideperson appearances with William Parker, Sam Ospovat, Adam Caine and Federico Ughi as well as a duet with pianist Carol Liebowitz.
Among the many he has performed with are pianists Connie Crothers and Kazzrie Jaxen; trio with clarinetist Bill Payne and flutist Robert Dick; tenor saxophonist Jimmy Halperin; bassists Michael Bisio, Ken Filiano, Hill Greene, and Ratzo Harris; drummers Roger Mancuso, Michael Wimberly, Billy Hart, and Billy Mintz.
He was born in New York City, graduated from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and lived and played actively in the San Francisco Bay Area before returning to New York in 2005.
His association with pianist and mentor Connie Crothers from 2005 until her passing in 2016 had a profound effect on his approach to music and improvisation, which he also passes forward as a teacher of jazz improvisation.
Other significant teachers and mentors have included Donald Byrd, Donald Walden, and Gary Bartz.