Winner for “Best Traditional Jazz Performance”
“…a pop-soul superwoman.” – New York Times
“She is the genuine article, the dream at last come true…the artist to watch in the world of Jazz.” – The Huffington Post
“Nicole Henry holds an audience in the palm of her hand…(she) sings from the heart, telling real stories.” - The Japan Times
“…a paragon of perfection…the vocal love child of Whitney Houston and Sarah Vaughan.” - Miami Herald
www.NicoleHenry.com INTRODUCTION
Since her debut in 2004, Nicole Henry has established herself as one of the jazz world’s most acclaimed vocalists. Ms. Henry possesses a potent combination of dynamic vocal abilities, impeccable phrasing and powerful emotional resonance.
Her passionate, soulful voice and heart-felt charisma have earned her a 2013 Soul Train Award for “Best Traditional Jazz Performance," three Top-10 U.S. Billboard and HMV Japan jazz CDs, and rave reviews by The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Japan Times, El Pais, Jazz Times, Essence and more.
Ms. Henry’s accompaniment ranges from a jazz trio to a full big band with a repertoire that includes the American Songbook, classic and contemporary jazz, contemporary standards, blues and originals.
Ms. Henry has captivated audiences in over 15 countries, headlining at venues in New York, Tokyo, Madrid, Moscow, Paris, Shanghai, San Francisco and Miami - including over 30 music festivals and in some of the world’s most famous venues.
Such venues include: Blue Note; Jazz at Lincoln Center; Blues Alley; Arsht Center; Feinstein’s; Madrid Jazz Festival; Regattabar; Catalina Jazz, L.A.; The Royal Room, Palm Beach; Jazz Aspen/Snowmass Festival; Green Mill; Jazz Kitchen and many more!
“The obvious forerunner to Ms. Henry…is the younger Natalie Cole, to whose style she adds a coating of brass.” - Stephen Holden, The New York Times
“Nicole is a dynamic, sexy and original talent whom I greatly admire. She continues a tradition of the classic jazz singers yet creates a totally fresh and contemporary sound with her own formidable voice. There's simply no one like her.” - Michael Feinstein, artist
“It’s unfair to try and make you understand the wonder of Henry’s voice. You have to experience it live. It’s also a grave injustice to put it in a box of any type of definition. Henry’s skill allows her to frolic within the realms of jazz, soul, funk and rhythm and blues. Her voice is too big for any kind perimeters or limitations. – HelloBeautiful.com RECENT CD RELEASES
January 2013 August 2011 So Good, So Right: Embraceable Banister Records/ eOne Nicole Henry LIVE Click Here for Songlist & MP3s Banister Records/eOne Click Here for Songlist & mp3s Top 20 Jazz Week Chart feat. the hit single “Waiting in Vain” #16 Billboard Traditional Jazz Album Top 20 Smooth Jazz Radio Charts February 2013 for 14 weeks.
Sublime interpretations of emotionally A sweet, sultry and charming tinged songs that were staples of the combination of jazz, soulful blues and 1970s from iconic artists including Bill a touch of gospel featuring Withers, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, performances by Kirk Whalum, Julian James Taylor, The Commodores and Lage, Gerald Clayton, Gil Goldstein, Gladys Knight. John Stoddart, Larry Grenadier, Eric Harland, Larry Campbell and more.
July 2008 June 2004 The Very Thought of You The Nearness of You Banister Records/ eOne Banister Records/ eOne Click Here for Songlist & MP3s HMV Japan - 2004 #7 Billboard Top Jazz Album, #2 Top Vocal Jazz Album September 2008 “Best New Jazz Artist”
Ms. Henry brings joy and romance to A spirited and emotional debut CD life through love songs, originals and release, reaching #27 on JazzWeek gems from the Great American radio chart and critical acclaim from Songbook including songwriters national and Japanese press. Jobim, Berlin and Gershwin. Swinging jazz standards and love songs. HIGHLIGHT VENUE PERFORMANCES
Blue Note, NYC Catalina Jazz Club, Los Angeles
Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, NYC Vail Jazz Festival, Colorado
Vibrato Jazz Grill, Los Angeles The Dakota, Minneapolis
The Green Mill, Chicago The Colony Theatre, Miami Beach
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater, NYC
Cotton Club, Tokyo Madrid International Jazz Festival
(also w/ Duke Ellington Orchestra) Five Tours of Japan, incl. Nango & Tendo Jazz Festivals
Jazz at Lincoln Center, Allen Room, NYC Kirk Whalum, Romance Language Tour 2012- special guest
(w/ Michael Feinstein and Ted Firth) Seacily Jazz Festival, Palermo, Sicily, Italy Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, Pittsburgh Jazz a Juan les Pins Festival, French Riviera National Anthem, Orange Bowl, ESPN Duc des Lombards, Paris Ginny’s Supper Club at Red Rooster, NYC San Jose Jazz Festival The Royal Room, Colony Hotel, Palm Beach, FL The Apollo Theater, NYC COEX Theater, Seoul Feinstein’s at the Loews Regency, NYC Four Tours of Russia, incl. Novosibirsk Jazz Festival JAZZ ROOTS Concert Series, AT&T P.A.C., Dallas The Birchmere, Washington, D.C. Blues Alley, Washington, D.C. Regattabar, Boston The Jazz Kitchen, Indianapolis Jazz Aspen Snowmass
IN THE PRESS
October 2011-CD review June 27, 2011 by Stephen Holden Nicole Henry’s vocal kinship to the The glamorous Nicole Henry, whose creamy Vanessa Williams is more September 17, 2013 Read more… style recalls a young Natalie Cole, evident than ever throughout her was in a comfortable pop-jazz fourth studio album, but her sugar Nicole Henry wins the 2013 Centric Soul mood at Feinstein's at Loews is now less refined. Henry has Train Award for Best Traditional Jazz Regency. Ms. Henry’s beauty added settled into an easier, looser, more Performance, sharing the category with an extra dimension to the soulfully sweet groove… fellow nominees George Benson (featuring performance. impressively affecting. Read Wynton Marsalis), Jeffrey Osborne (featuring Read more… more… Chaka Khan), Tony Bennett (featuring Marc Anthony), and Terence Blanchard. Miss Henry won the award for her stellar performance of “Waiting in Vain,” from her 2013 release ‘SO GOOD, SO RIGHT: NICOLE HENRY LIVE.’
September 5, 2012 by Sean Martinfield For jazz vocalist Nicole August 14, 2011 Henry, the story has indeed been by Jordan Levin written. She is the genuine article, At first look – and listen – jazz singer Nicole Henry seems a the dream at last come true, the paragon of perfection. She is tall, willowy and poised, pretty girl in the in the melody that with an expansive smile that gleams like the polished skin haunts you -- night and day. That on her beautifully sculpted body. The voice that pours predicted time of greatness has out of her is even more impressive, a burnished, honey- arrived. Nicole Henry emerges rich alto that can soar to gospel heights. Romp with skin- hands down as this generation's tingling rhythm and drop to a whisper, the vocal love- First Lady of Jazz. Read more… child of Whitney Houston and Sarah Vaughan. PDF Avail… IN THE PRESS cont’d.
March 6, 2013 by Robert Walzer May 9, 2012 by Stephen Holden January 2013 Read more… Read more… While watching singer Nicole Henry go through her paces at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency on Tuesday evening, I had the sense of being in the presence of a pop-soul superwoman whose every gesture and inflection conveyed confidence and mastery. Read more…
February 1, 2013 by Shenequa A. Golding- Nicole Henry Serves Sensual Jazz Without Gimmicks. The jazz-soul singer’s voice has undeniable power. As the music moves December 2012 Miami-based jazz through her, Henry’s body contorts with star is belting her way straight to each note, physically putting herself into the stardom. performance. Read Over the one-hour set, Henry did renditions more… showcasing her ability to make not only a song, but a classic, her own. Read more…
Her music is AWESOME!! Read More… IN THE PRESS cont’d.
May 18, 2013 Read more… Yahoo Thread - February 13, 2013 February 3, 2013 Read more…
August 18, 2014 The best, or arguably one of the top performances at the (San Jose) Jazz Summer Fest …Nicole’s voice is February 1, 2013 Read more… great, and she was great every song, all the way through.” Read more… January 30, 2013 Read more… Nicole Henry is happy in the ‘70s. With modulated gospel voice and Motown moves, she expansively launches “Stuck in the Middle” arms out, open palms, singing as if she remember when. Most vocalists feel particular empathy with an earlier era. This is clearly Henry’s. Short flights of phrasing, lyric repetitions, and fluid movement come naturally to the performer. IN THE PRESS cont’d.
December 2012 Read interview… August 21, 2013 Read more… January 29, 2013 Henry’s embrace of the music of the 1970s, as demonstrated on her live album So Good So Right, illustrates the ways that musical styles of the 1970s are more attuned to the gifts that Henry brings to the table… musicianship, lyricism, soulful vocals and sophisticated glamour… Read more…
July 19, 2013 Read more…
May 17, 2013
January 25, 2013 Read Interview… PRESS QUOTES
“Nicole Henry seems a paragon of perfection. She is tall, willowy and poised, with an expansive smile that gleams like the polished skin on her beautifully sculpted body. The voice that pours out of her is even more impressive, a burnished, honey-rich alto that can soar to gospel heights, romp with skin-tingling rhythm and drop to a heart-rending whisper, the vocal love child of Whitney Houston and Sarah Vaughan.” - Jordan Levin, Miami Herald
“A jazz singer of pop instinct and cabaret sophistication.” - Nate Chinen, The New York Times
“Listen and you’ll hear an artist who knows how to make a song her own just as surely as she knows how to make a tune swing. Henry aims right for the emotional center…one comes away believing that Henry is a jazz vocalist poised on the cusp of bigger things. “ - Billboard
“I had the sense of being in the presence of a pop-soul superwoman whose every gesture and inflection conveyed confidence and mastery…. time and again she invested familiar songs with an extra fillip of conviction and made you reconsider the words.” - Stephen Holden, The New York Times
“…That predicted time of greatness has arrived. Nicole Henry emerges hands down as this generation's First Lady of Jazz. She is the genuine article, the dream at last come true…Nicole Henry has been the artist to watch in the world of Jazz.” - Sean Martinfield, Huffington Post
“Two magic evenings took Madrid by surprise…she was powerful, elegant and natural.” - El Pais
“Nicole Henry has a rare talent for commanding a room…she knows how to mesmerize an audience. Henry has the energy and the chops to turn a good song into a transcendent performance.” - Miami New Times
“Similar to singers such as Nancy Wilson, Henry brings a jazz sense of timing and phrasing to her vocals…Like Aretha Franklin, Henry can speak a variety of musical languages.” - SoulTracks.com PRESS QUOTES contd.
“She has grace and presence, a superb voice – rich in nuances – and style not seen these days.” - Jazz Hot France
“(Henry) can sell a power ballad as well as Whitney, Diana and Patti.” - Jazz Times
“Nicole Henry is a major artist ready to bust out…her history is undeniable; she paid her dues and covered all the bases, in much the same way Ella, Billie, (and) Sarah did. ‘So Good, So Right’ shows off her soulful roots, her R&B and jazz experience, and her touching ballad vocal performances… Nicole is the carrier of the flame to a new generation…” - Larry Rosen, record/concert producer; JAZZ ROOTS
“She phrases songs with a freewheeling sense of play that never loses sight of the subject at hand. At the same time she holds back the force of her tart-timbered voice until the right dramatic moment to unleash its considerable power.” - Stephen Holden, The New York Times
“Your show was as fabulous [as] you and that magical voice!”-Nile Rodgers, artist/producer
“She’s been perfecting the art of mesmerizing audiences around the world. A vocalist of beautiful sensitivity and solid phrasing…(giving) every song a new approach. Just the way the great ones did before her.” - All About Jazz
"This terrific singer makes every song sound fresh. She has a lush, sultry voice, clear articulation of lyrics, and a natural swing. Her vocals are heartfelt, beautiful and genuine, offering creative innovation.”- Goldmine
“Henry shows she can deliver a popular, romantic tune with Whitney-like grace, like (Billie) Holiday, Henry can stretch a rhythm and a phrase like taffy and land cat-like square on the beat where needed - always swinging. What intrigues is that in each and every cut, Henry displays …a marvelous knack to draw you in to the lyric. That, of course, is the trademark of all the great vocalists.” -Jazz Improv NY VIDEO LINKS
Nicole Henry Performance Reel “At This Moment” – Debut music video
“The Nearness of You” – Nango Jazz Fest “All the Things You Are” – Big Band
“A Little Time Alone”- Tokyo NICOLE HENRY BIOGRAPHY
Since her debut in 2004, Nicole Henry has established herself as one of the jazz world's most acclaimed vocalists, possessing a potent combination of dynamic vocal abilities, impeccable phrasing, and powerful emotional resonance. Her repertoire includes the American Songbook, classic and contemporary jazz, contemporary' standards, blues, and originals; while her accompaniment ranges from a simple jazz trio to a full big band.
Ms. Henry's passionate, soulful voice and heart-felt charisma has earned her a 2013 Soul Train Award for “Best Traditional Jazz Performance," three Top-10 U.S. Billboard and HMV Japan jazz albums, and rave reviews both domestically and internationally by The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Japan Times, El Pais, Jazz Times, Essence and more.
She has captivated audiences in over 15 countries, headlining at venues in cities including New York, Tokyo, Madrid, Moscow, Paris, Shanghai, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco and Miami. Ms. Henry has also performed in more than 30 music festivals worldwide and in some of the world’s most famous venues including Blue Note, NYC; Jazz at Lincoln Center; Blues Alley; Arsht Center; Feinstein’s; Green Mill; Madrid Jazz Festival; the Regattabar; and Catalina Jazz.
Her 2004 debut CD release, The Nearness of You, won considerable attention from audiences and critics in the U.S. and in Japan, where they named her Best New Jazz Artist of 2004. The following year, Ms. Henry's Teach Me Tonight reached #1 in Japan and was named HMV Japan's Best Vocal Jazz Album of 2005. Then, in 2008, The Very Thought of You substantially expanded her American audience, reaching #7 on Billboard's jazz chart.
The 2011 release of the Embraceable CD was a creative triumph for Ms. Henry as it expanded her recordings beyond those of the American Songbook jazz standards which had been her focus up until that time. Embraceable included more originals, soul and even a touch of gospel, and reached the Top 20 on jazz and smooth U.S. jazz radio charts. Joining Ms. Henry on Embraceable was an amazing collection of jazz artists including Kirk Whalum, Gerald Clayton, John Stoddart, Julian Lage, Gil Goldstein, Larry Grenadier, and Eric Harland.
Ms. Henry demonstrates her diversity and skills as a performer and a peerless interpreter of songs on her 2013 release, SO GOOD, SO RIGHT: Nicole Henry Live. The 13-track live album, which was recorded at sold-out performances at Feinstein’s in NYC in May 2012, showcases her soulful, inspired renditions of some of her favorite classic hits of the ‘70s from iconic artists including Bill Withers, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, The Commodores and Gladys Knight.
Growing up in a musical family in Bucks County, PA, Ms. Henry immersed herself in the arts early on, singing in school and church, and studying cello and ballet. After graduating from the University of Miami with a degree in Communications and Theatre, she launched a successful acting career, appearing in commercial roles as well as a series of voiceover assignments. However, she directed her strongest passion toward the development of her full-time singing career which was quickly rewarded in her present hometown, when the Miami New Times named Nicole “Best Solo Musician 2002.” CONTACT & MEDIA OUTLETS
NICOLE HENRY’S OFFICE Dennis Ostern – Operations Manager Tel: (305) 672-7424 [email protected] General Assistance [email protected]
MANAGEMENT DISTRIBUTION Steve Musumeci Magenta Label Group/ eOne Tel: (917) 667-2081 Susan Rosenberg Tel: (917) 951-4196 [email protected] [email protected] Jim DiLorenzo Tel: (631) 334-0001 [email protected] NICOLE HENRY SOCIAL MEDIA ASSETS PUBLIC RELATIONS www.NicoleHenry.com Dan Klores Communications (DKC) www.Twitter.com/NicoleHenryJazz www.Facebook.com/NicoleHenryOfficialFanPage Aliza Rabinoff www.YouTube.com/Nikisings Tel: (212) 981-5157 www.Instagram.com/NicoleHenryJazz [email protected] www.pinterest.com/nicolehenryjazz