Albert Nicholas | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | May 27, 1900
Died | September 3, 1973 Basel, Switzerland | (aged 73)
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Clarinet |
Years active | 1910s–1973 |
Albert Nicholas (May 27, 1900 – September 3, 1973) [1] was an American jazz clarinet player.
Nicholas's primary instrument was the clarinet, which he studied with Lorenzo Tio in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. [1] Late in the 1910s, he played with Buddy Petit, King Oliver, and Manuel Perez. [1] He spent three years in the Merchant Marines and then joined Oliver in Chicago from 1925 to 1927. [1] After time in East Asia and Egypt, he returned to New York City in 1928 and played with Luis Russell until 1933, [1] playing there with Red Allen, Charlie Holmes, and J. C. Higginbotham. Later he played with Chick Webb, Louis Armstrong (with Russell) and Jelly Roll Morton. [1]
The Dixieland jazz revival of the late 1940s reinvigorated his career; he played with Art Hodes, Bunk Johnson, and Kid Ory, [1] and had a regular gig with Ralph Sutton in 1948. In 1953, he moved to France; except for recording sessions in the U.S. in 1959-60, he remained there for most of the rest of his life. [1]
Nicholas died in Basel, Switzerland, in September 1973, at the age of 73.