Nicole Henry

Nicole Henry
Nicole Henry at Joe's Pub, New York, NY
Background information
Born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Genres
Occupation(s) Recording Artist, Performer
Years active 2004–present
Labels Banister, Venus
Website www.nicolehenry.com

Nicole Henry is an American jazz singer. She won the 2013 Soul Train Music Award for "Best Traditional Jazz Performance" nominated alongside Tony Bennett, George Benson, Terence Blanchard and Jeffrey Osborne.[1] She has performed at numerous festivals including the Jazz a Juan les Pins Festival, Madrid International Jazz Festival, EFG London Jazz Festival, Clearwater Jazz Holiday and the San Jose Summer Jazz Fest.[2] She is also a regular performer at some of the world’s most acclaimed jazz venues, such as New York City's Jazz at Lincoln Center[3] and Blue Note Jazz Club,[4] and Tokyo's famed Cotton Club among others.[5]

Personal life

She was born in Philadelphia, PA. Her father, Al Henry, moved his family when he played ball for the Philadelphia 76ers[6] and she grew up in the small community of Andalusia, Bensalem Township, Bucks County, where she pursued the arts from a young age, singing in school and church, and studying cello and ballet. She graduated from the University of Miami with a double major in advertising and theater.[7] In a 2014 interview with CBS Miami, where she is based, she cited Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughan as sources of inspiration.[8]

Career

Henry launched her entertainment career with success in both singing and acting. Early in her career, she appeared in commercial acting roles and voiceover assignments. In 2000 she toured as a background singer for Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise, performing dance music. She discovered jazz while singing in Miami Beach when her then bassist, Paul Shewchuk invited her to learn some jazz standards to perform with his trio.[9] Her passion for singing was first recognized by Miami New Times when they named Henry “Best Solo Musician 2002”.[7] In 2004, Henry released her debut CD, The Nearness of You, on Banister Records. The album received critical acclaim and was earned Henry the "Best New Jazz Artist" award by HMV Japan. The following year, Henry's Teach Me Tonight reached #1 in Japan and was named HMV Japan's Best Vocal Jazz Album of 2005.[2] Her 2008 album The Very Thought of You reached #7 on Billboard's jazz chart.

Her 2011 release Embraceable reached the Top 20 on U.S. jazz and smooth jazz radio charts and featured Kirk Whalum, Gerald Clayton, John Stoddart, Julian Lage, Gil Goldstein, Larry Gernadier and Eric Harland among others.[10]

In 2012 she made her San Francisco debut at a private event and at The Razz Room. Sean Martinfield of The Huffington Post wrote "Nicole Henry emerges hands down as this generation's First Lady of Jazz."[11]

In 2013, she sang new renditions of hits from the 1970s for her album So Good, So Right: Nicole Henry Live recorded in front of sold-out crowds at Feinstein’s in New York.[7]

In 2013, Henry took home the "Soul Train award" for "Best Traditional Jazz Performance".[12]

Henry sang the National Anthem at several major sporting events in the early 2010s, including the 2010 Orange Bowl, the OPEN 13 Mens Finals and at Miami Marlins games. On the 12th of July, Henry performed at the Gala event at The Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester,NY.

Discography

  • The Nearness of You (2004)
  • Teach Me Tonight (2005)
  • The Very Thought of You (2008)
  • Embraceable (2011)
  • Set for the Season: Live in Japan (2012)
  • So Good, So Right: Nicole Henry Live (2013)
  • At This Moment (2014 - Single)
  • Nicole Henry & James Bryan: Summer Sessions EP (2015)

References

  1. ↑ "Winners List: 2013 Soul Train Music Awards". ..::That Grape Juice.net::.. - Thirsty?. 2013-12-01. Retrieved 2018-02-28.
  2. 1 2 "Nicole Henry with Top Shelf Big Band & Orchestra | San Jose Jazz Summer Fest". Summerfest.sanjosejazz.org. 2013-01-24. Archived from the original on 2014-08-10. Retrieved 2014-08-02.
  3. ↑ "Nicole Henry: A Time for Love". www.jazz.org. Retrieved 2018-02-28.
  4. ↑ "Blue Note New York Performance Schedule". Bluenote.net. Retrieved 2014-08-02.
  5. ↑ "NICOLE HENRY - A Standard Affair - @COTTON CLUB". COTTON CLUB (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-02-28.
  6. ↑ Moser, John J. (2015-04-25). "Interviewing Allentown JazzFest headliner Nicole Henry: From Bucks County to Miami jazz singer and back". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  7. 1 2 3 "Henry, Nicole bio". Miami.edu. Retrieved 2014-08-02.
  8. ↑ "Women To Watch: Trend Tracker® Tara Gilani With Nicole Henry « CBS Miami". Miami.cbslocal.com. 2014-07-02. Retrieved 2014-08-02.
  9. ↑ "Nicole Henry | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-02-28.
  10. ↑ "Arsht Center". Retrieved 2018-02-28.
  11. ↑ Martinfield, Sean (5 September 2012). "Jazz Vocalist Nicole Henry Makes San Francisco Debut". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  12. ↑ "Soul Train award". The Jazz Line. December 1, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
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