Born in England, raised in South Africa and latterly of New York, Nicky Schrire epitomises the expansive and fluid range of the modern, contemporary jazz scene at its most intriguing. Nicky’s early musical training was in classical piano and then saxophone, but receiving a three-CD box set of Ella Fitzgerald as a young teenager changed all that. After graduating with a music degree in voice, her journey took her to the Manhattan School of Music in New York, where she was absorbed into that city’s intense, kinetic and experimental jazz melting pot, populated by musicians including Fabian Almazan, Gerald Clayton, Taylor Eigsti and Ben Wendel (Kneebody). Her debut record, “Freedom Flight” was called “an exceptional debut” (Hardbop Jazz Journal), while her sophomore album, “Space and Time” consolidated her expanding reputation as a singer and songwriter to watch. Her latest six-song EP, “To the Spring”, released in 2014, further showcased a voice “of great originality” (London Jazz). Forging an international career she has already performed at venues in New York (Jazz at Lincoln Center), Boston (Scullers Jazz Club), Los Angeles (The Blue Whale), London (Royal Festival Hall), Dublin (National Concert Hall), and South Africa (Standard Bank Jazz Festival). Signature to her style is her willingness to explore melodic ideas and a penchant for unexpected phrasing that gives her interpretations a unique twist.
For her Vortex debut, Nicky is joined by an exceptional band featuring saxophonist Adam Waldmann (Kairos 4tet), pianist Tom Hewson (Treehouse & winner of the 2014 Nottingham Jazz Piano competition), bassist Nick Jurd (Soweto Kinch) and drummer Tim Giles (Iain Ballamy, LOOP Collective), playing music from her previous releases as well as arrangements from her South African jazz repertoire.
