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Nicole Herzog

Nicole Herzog, daugther of a Congolese mother and a Swiss father. At the age of 4 Nicole started taking lessons in classical ballet, and until her 16th birthday she pursued her dream of becoming a professional dancer. Singing and playing the piano had been just two more hobbies for a long years. Her passion for solo singing sparked when she participated in a musical organized by her high school. She kept singing in regional pop, soul, R'n'B and funk bands.

Because of a rising interest in Jazz, she applied for the International Jazzfestival Generations 2004, where she participated in workshops held by Adrian Mears, Ira Coleman, Lewis Nash, Dick Oatts and others. At Generations 2004 Nicole was awarded a place in the fellowship band, with which she toured in Germany (Jazzclub Unterfahrt München) and Switzerland under supervision of Roman Schwaller and Adrian Mears.

Subsequently Nicole devoted herself to her studies in International Relations, which she concluded with a bachelor at the University of Geneva. The studies did not keep her from making music. In Adrian Mears she found a composer, arranger and musician who was able to write challenging and varied compositions and arrangements suiting Nicole's voice. The result of this collaboration can be be found on the CD "Time Will Tell – Nicole Herzog Septet feat. Adrian Mears", which was published under the TCB Montreux Jazz Label in September 2008.

Nicole completed her Master in European Studies from the University of Basel in December 2011.

In 2012 Nicole founded together with the Bernese pianist Stewy von Wattenwyl the "Nicole Herzog & Stewy von Wattenwyl Group" and published an album “INTIMACY" (Brambus Records Label). This collaboration was a big succes. Together, Nicole and Stewy, won the Radio Swiss Jazz Award 2014.

In autumn 2015 Nicole and Stewy recorded their second album together, "I LOVES YOU BILLIE", which was published mid-march 2016.

In May 2016 Nicole got the opportunity to make a recording with the legendary US-tenorsaxophonist Don Menza. The album "THAT'S LIFE" (Label Musiques Suisses) is going to be released in autumn 2016.

Nicole lives with her little family in Copenhagen and regularly performs in Switzerland, South Germany, Austria, France and China.

Awards

Swiss Jazz Award 2014, JazzAscona (CH) Fellowship Award Generations 2004 - International Jazzfestival Frauenfeld (CH)


Tags

6
Bailey's Bundles

Five Women 2017 III: – Rose Ellis, Rozina Patkai, Nicole Herzog, Sharon Paige, and Kathy Ingraham

Read "Five Women 2017 III: – Rose Ellis, Rozina Patkai, Nicole Herzog, Sharon Paige, and Kathy Ingraham" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Rose Ellis Like Songs Like Moons Self Produced 2017 On her debut recording, Like Songs Like Moons, New York City by-way-of-the Netherlands vocalist and composer Rose Ellis, brings to jazz a voice as clear as a bell and unafraid to take chances. Her tone is diamond hard and easy on the ear. Her writing is topical, and delivery bright and informed. She employs an excellent piano trio of NYC musiciansin pianist Glenn Zaleski, bassist Pablo ...

293
Album Review

Nicole Herzog: Time Will Tell

Read "Time Will Tell" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Slight and striking, the coquette-voiced German Nicole Herzog has the stones to lead her own septet on Time Will Tell. Rather than opting for a trio or quartet format as her ride, Herzog employs the “little big band" concept developed and perfected by Miles Davis with his famous 1949 nonet and 1958 sextet. The Herzog septet has a sound big enough to fill a room, while still remaining small enough to be intimate. Herzog has an interesting ...

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Press on the album "I LoveS You Billie - Nicole Herzog & Stewy von Wattenwyl Group" Brambus Records Label (2016):

"[...] Es ist nicht ganz ohne Risiko, wenn sich eine Sängerin auf die vielleicht persönlichste weibliche Stimme in der Jazzgeschichte beruft. Nicole Herzog hat denn auch gut daran getan, ihr Vorbild nicht zu kopieren, sondern eigene Interpretationen zu präsentieren. Dass sie es ganz vortrefflich versteht, Klassikern wie «Lover Man», «Night and Day» oder – um Gershwin anzusprechen – «Summertime» zu neuem Leben zu erwecken, hat sie inzwischen wiederholt bewiesen.[...]" Der Bund, 7.5.2016

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Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

I Loves You Billie

Brambus Records
2016

buy

That's Life

Musiques Suisses
2016

buy

Intimacy

Brambus Records
2013

buy

Time Will Tell

TCB Music
2009

buy

Videos

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