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Ted Nash

Grammy-nominated artist Ted Nash enjoys an extraordinary career as a performer, conductor, composer, arranger, and educator. Born in Los Angeles, multi-instrumentalist Nash's interest in music started at an early age. He was exposed to music and encouraged by his father, trombonist Dick Nash, and uncle, reedman Ted Nash - both well-known studio and jazz musicians. Nash blossomed early, a “young lion” before the term became marketing vernacular.

During his first three years in New York Nash became a regular member of a variety of ensembles. He worked with the Gerry Mulligan Big Band, the National Jazz Ensemble and the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra.

One of Nash's most important associations is with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, for whom he composed Portrait in Seven Shades, a suite dedicated to seven different iconic painters. This recording received two Grammy nominations, including best arranger, and has been credited by Ted Panken in Downbeat Magazine as marking a new direction for the Orchestra.

Nash's other recordings have appeared on many national "best-of" lists including The New Yorker, The New York Times, Village Voice, The Boston Globe, and New York Newsday.

Time Out Magazine wrote: "One of our favorite jazz memories of the past few years came during saxophonist Ted Nash's intense, blistering solo in a recent Jazz at Lincoln Center performance here in Chicago. Born in L.A. to a family of Hollywood session players but currently living in New York, Nash has that kind of instantly identifiable talent that makes the distracted pay attention."

Nash, while always mindful of traditions, reaches well outside a "traditional" nexus. His eclectic group Odeon has garnered much attention in the jazz world and received features and in-depth mentions from publications such as The New York Times, Village Voice, Boston Globe, and New York Newsday. Said the Los Angeles Times after hearing this group at the Jazz Bakery, one of the area's best clubs: "You say jazz is having trouble these days finding a creative focus? Don't believe it. Go to the Jazz Bakery tonight to hear saxophonist Ted Nash's marvelous group Odeon, and any doubts will quickly be dispelled. What this Los Angeles native is demonstrating with Odeon is the fact that — far from being on a down slope — jazz is in a period of extraordinary opportunity."

In the most recent Downbeat Critics Poll (2011), Nash appeared in seven categories, including Best Composer and Rising Star Best Jazz Artist.

Gear

Ted Nash plays Rico Reeds.


Tags

3
Album Review

Glenn Close & Ted Nash: Transformation

Read "Transformation" reviewed by Paul Rauch


Transformation is a multi-disciplinary work from saxophonist/composer Ted Nash, and iconic actress Glenn Close, exploring the multi-faceted and abstract theme of transformation. The works included examine the theme from both universal and individual conceptions. Music and literature at its best is clearly transformative for anyone experiencing it. Transformation is by essence, the highest and most illuminating expression of change. Nash embraced the project by creating a colorful and illustrative collection of pieces, embracing Close's curated literary selections recited by the ...

5
Album Review

Glenn Close/Ted Nash: Transformation

Read "Transformation" reviewed by Jack Bowers


When confronted by an album whose tracks include the names “Creation" (Parts 1 and 2), “Preludes for Memnon," “Wisdom of the Humanities" and “Reaching the Tropopause," among others, one braces for whatever may transpire, buoyed by the thought that with Glenn Close, Ted Nash and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra on board, how displeasing could it be? The verdict: not at all displeasing—but it must be appraised on its own terms, as a series of philosophical and hopefully transformative ...

9
Album Review

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Septet with Wynton Marsalis: The Democracy! Suite

Read "The Democracy! Suite" reviewed by Paul Rauch


There is an interesting generational divide in perception when it comes to the music of Wynton Marsalis. While many hail his work at Lincoln Center as elevating jazz to its rightful place among the fine arts, others lament the separation from his iconic quartet and quintet work in the 1980's as some sort of jazz treason. What is unquestionable is his virtuosity and eloquence, expressing each note with beauty as the clear priority in his playing as a ...

1
Album Review

Falkner Evans: Marbles

Read "Marbles" reviewed by Jack Bowers


On his fifth recording as leader, pianist / composer Falkner Evans has expanded his group size from trio (the first three) and quintet (the fourth) to sextet with vibraphonist Steve Nelson added on three of the album's ten numbers, the first nine of which were written by Evans. Even though this was a one-off, Evans' teammates are skillful enough to make it sound like a working ensemble. One reason for this is that the rhythm section (bassist Belden Bullock, drummer ...

4
Album Review

Falkner Evans: Marbles

Read "Marbles" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


Pianist Falkner Evans has been gradually expanding the size of his recording projects. He started out with a couple of trio discs, then made one with a quintet. On this latest offering, he fronts a three-horn sextet scored to sound like a bigger and fuller unit. He uses a front line of Michael Blake on tenor sax, Ted Nash on alto sax and Ron Horton on trumpet, that is blended into a cool, reedy sound which ebbs and ...

Album Review

Ted Nash: Live at Dizzy’s

Read "Live at Dizzy’s" reviewed by Maurizio Zerbo


Primo album live di Ted Nash in venticinque anni di carriera, Live at Dizzy's ne fa rilucere le superbe doti di improvvisatore e multistrumentista. Già vincitore di un Grammy Awards per la direzione orchestrale del CD Portrait in Seven Shades (2011), il cinquantottenne musicista di Los Angeles si impone altresì per una cifra compositiva sapiente e sofisticata, esaltata dalle sinuose trame per flauto-sax-vibrafono. Le magnifiche composizioni di Chick Corea, Thelonious Monk, Herbie Nichols, Johnny Mandel ed Henry Mancini ...

2
Multiple Reviews

Jazz for President - Le suite di Delfeayo Marsalis e Ted Nash

Read "Jazz for President - Le suite di Delfeayo Marsalis e Ted Nash" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Gli anni sessanta sono lontani e con essi la controversia su jazz e politica. Com'è noto, la musica è un'arte asemantica e i musicisti non possono trasmettere significati (in questo caso politici) con il linguaggio delle note. Però gli artisti esprimono eventuali scelte ideologiche iscrivendo la loro musica in un quadro semantico più generale, fatto di manifesti programmatici, dichiarazioni, titolazioni di album e brani. Tutte cose che si riverberano sulla musica stessa, con effetti comunicativi per associazione. Negli ...

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Recording

Ted Nash Plays Frank Comstock

Ted Nash Plays Frank Comstock

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Frank Comstock is a name today that has long been forgotten. Many of those who are familiar with Comstock probably associate him with the Hi-Lo's vocal group, for whom he arranged and conducted their first eight albums in the 1950s. Or they know him as the composer of the theme for the Rocky and His Friends TV cartoon series in the 1960s. But Comstock was a much bigger deal. He arranged for Les Brown's cool, contrapuntal band from 1943 to ...

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Performance / Tour

Kristen Lee Sergeant Releases 'Song Sessions: From Alone To Together' - A Jazz Singer's Throwback For Today - Sept. 2 - Featuring Ted Nash!

Kristen Lee Sergeant Releases 'Song Sessions:  From Alone To Together' - A Jazz Singer's Throwback For Today - Sept. 2 - Featuring Ted Nash!

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations

Song Sessions: From Alone to Together is being premiered in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center on the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra's Facebook Page on September 2nd at 7pm EST. Jazz vocalist and songwriter Kristen Lee Sergeant has chosen to do something unique in the time of COVID, apart from the cascade of streaming shows: she's making mini concerts that feel more like “The Judy Garland Show" than something found on TikTok. Utilizing a remote band (layered tracks from ...

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Recording

Dave Bass Hits #15 Jazz Week - All-Star Band with Ted Nash, Karrin Allyson, Carlos Henriquez & More!

Dave Bass Hits #15 Jazz Week - All-Star Band with Ted Nash, Karrin Allyson, Carlos Henriquez & More!

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations

Dave Bass No Boundaries Whaling City Sound Hits #15 on JazzWeek charts! Everyone's got a story to tell, but chances are that few have one like Dave Bass. Just out of high school in jny: Cincinnati, Bass played in bands opening for Captain Beefheart and Alice Cooper. He went onto study piano with the legendary teacher Madame Chaloff (who taught Leonard Bernstein, Steve Kuhn, Kenny Werner and others) and then to touring the world as Brenda ...

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Performance / Tour

Ted Nash Trio World Premiere September 3 At Dizzy's Club - Somewhere Else: West Side Story Songs!

Ted Nash Trio World Premiere September 3 At Dizzy's Club - Somewhere Else: West Side Story Songs!

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations

Multi-Instrumentalist / Composer / Arranger Ted Nash Somewhere Else: West Side Story Songs with Steve Cardenas & Ben Allison World Premiere At Dizzy's Club on September 3 Jazz Week Chart, August 19 Biggest Gainers / Most Added Two-time Grammy winning composer and saxophonist Ted Nash presents the WORLD PREMIERE of his 15th album as a leader- Somewhere Else: West Side Story Songs (Plastic Sax Records) on September 3rd at Dizzy's Club! One Night Only! ...

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Recording

Multi-Instrumentalist Ted Nash Releases 'Somewhere Else - West Side Story Songs' on August 16th!

Multi-Instrumentalist Ted Nash Releases 'Somewhere Else - West Side Story Songs' on August 16th!

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations

Multi-Instrumentalist/Composer/Arranger Ted Nash Somewhere Else- West Side Story Songs with Steve Cardenas & Ben Allison. Two-time Grammy winning composer and saxophonist Ted Nash releases his 15th album as a leader. Somewhere Else- West Side Story Songs on Plastic Sax Records drops on August 16th. In Nash's own words: “There was a moment backstage when I wiped a bead of sweat from my temple and glanced over at Steve and Ben. We shook our heads and laughed. It was the only ...

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Recording

Pianist, Composer, Arranger Dave Bass Releases No Boundaries, Featuring Ted Nash, Karrin Allyson, Carlos Henriquez, Jerome Jennings & More!

Pianist, Composer, Arranger Dave Bass Releases  No Boundaries, Featuring Ted Nash, Karrin Allyson, Carlos Henriquez, Jerome Jennings & More!

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations

Release date: August 2, 2019 The saying goes that everyone's got a story to tell. But chances are good that few, if any, have the kind of story Dave Bass has. Without resorting to detail, Bass's rebirth as a jazz musician after decades away from the art is nothing short of astonishing. Having retired from the Office of the Attorney General of California back in 2015, Bass is back at the piano, where he promises to keep the torch burning ...

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Recording

Vocalist/Composer/Arranger Kristen Lee Sergeant New Release February 15 - Smolder - With Jeb Patton, Cameron Brown, Ted Nash And More!

Vocalist/Composer/Arranger Kristen Lee Sergeant New Release February 15 - Smolder - With Jeb Patton, Cameron Brown, Ted Nash And More!

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations

Vocalist/Composer/Arranger Kristen Lee Sergeant—New Release February 15—Smolder with Jeb Patton, Cameron Brown, Ted Nash and more! Kristen Lee Sergeant is a vocalist with effervescent energy, musical intensity and dramatic flair. Her debut record, Inside Out, was a Downbeat Editor's Pick. Smolder is a story of fire—fully ablaze or newly extinguished, and is set to further ignite her international career. Smolder spans '80s pop, bold interpretations of standards, and breathtaking originals—all bound together with a theme of elemental flame. Kristen is ...

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Performance / Tour

Ted Nash - Birth Of The American Jazz Orchestra - J@LC

Ted Nash - Birth Of The American Jazz Orchestra - J@LC

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations

“This particular band, for me, is the strongest in the 15 years I’ve been in the band,” asserts Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra multi-instrumentalist Ted Nash. Experience this powerhouse band as the JLCO with Wynton Marsalis delve into the Birth of the American Jazz Orchestra on January 9-10 in Rose Theater. There is a free pre-concert discussion nightly at 7pm. “When you think about the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, “ continues Nash, “especially with the guys from Georgia, Illinois, ...

Performance / Tour

Ted Nash Big Band: At Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, Oct 31- Nov 3

Ted Nash Big Band: At Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, Oct 31- Nov 3

Source: Scott H. Thompson

Come enjoy the Ted Nash Big Band premiere performance of “Chakra" on October 31- November 3, 2013 at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola. The newly released Nash masterpiece features a 16-piece big band with a long-form composition in seven movements. The intimate club setting will highlight the GRAMMY-nominated multi-instrumentalist's talents as a performer/composer/bandleader. Ted Nash - conductor, alto sax, alto flute; Ben Kono - alto sax, soprano sax, flute, clarinet; Charles Pillow - alto sax, clarinet, flute, piccolo; Dan Willis - tenor ...

1

Recording

Ted Nash Big Band "Chakra" CD Release Sept 17

Ted Nash Big Band "Chakra" CD Release Sept 17

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations

Ted Nash explores new textures and colors, creating a fresh sound expressed by the exciting and powerful setting of the Big Band... Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist Ted Nash releases his twelfth solo recording, Chakra on September 17, 2013. Nash's new album features a 16-piece big band performing a new long-form composition in seven movements. Following the success (two Grammy nominations) of his previous big band recording Portrait in Seven Shades, Nash takes his creative expression to a new level with this pioneering ...

“Neither a poster boy for the avant-garde nor a blinders-on traditionalist, Nash is simply his own man.” —Washington Post
Tracy Yang
composer / conductor
Orlando Madrid
saxophone, alto

Photos

Concerts

Mar 22 Fri
Mar 23 Sat

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Holidays

Sunnyside Records
2023

buy

Falling

Tiger Turn Productions
2022

buy

The Democracy! Suite

Blue Engine Records
2021

buy

Transformation

Tiger Turn
2021

buy

Kimbrough

Newvelle Records
2021

buy

Marbles

Consolidated Artists Productions
2020

buy

Orpheus

From: Falling
By Ted Nash

Sisyphus

From: Falling
By Ted Nash

Let's Fall

From: Falling
By Ted Nash

Videos

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