Thanks - Holidays

Hello Everyone!

I hope this update finds you well! I want to wish each and every one of you a wonderful Holiday Season, and a great new year! Thanks so much to all of the new visitors I've had here to my site recently, I hope you've enjoyed the music!

The quintet gig at Miles Cafe, went well, thanks so much to all of the guys in the band for learning the music! It was a pleasure making music with you all. Looking forward, we will be doing a Club 340 performance at the Juilliard School on Tuesday, February 1st at 730PM. This performance will feature an additional member of the band - Lucas Pino. Some special new arrangements will be performed!

Next semester looks to be just as busy as the first! We will be traveling to Utah and Nevada, and performing Gil Evan's arrangements of Miles Davis's Porgy and Bess with special guest Jon Faddis. Really looking forward to these projects!

As the relaxation of winter break wears off, I might not be able to continue to update the site, but stay tuned to the gig calendar to see what is up next!

Thanks again!

Nick

NYC Quintet and Gigs!

Hey Everyone - Just wanted to post a quick update that I have been able to secure the debut performance for my quintet at Miles Cafe (212 East 52nd Street) 530-730PM on Sunday December 12th, 2010 with my new quintet!

The new group will feature fellow Juilliard students Alex Wintz on guitar, Kris Bowers on Piano, Dave Baron on Bass, and Bryan Carter on drums! Really looking forward to this!

Hope to see you there!

Nick

Semester Moving Right Along!

With orientation over, and the semester now well underway, I can say that after a brief dip under water it seems like I am coming back to the surface with a good grip on things at school - for now at least! Some great concerts coming up at The Juilliard School this semester - including evening's with John Clayton (with the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra) and Curtis Fuller (with Small Ensembles)! Really looking forward to these events! Be sure to come out if you're around New York!

Currently trying to get my own projects back on their feet, more specifically my quintet - keep an eye on the quintet facebook page and right here for more updates on any gigs that may arise around the city!

Thanks, as always for looking around my page!

- Nick

Grad School is here...

Well, it's that time - after almost a year of auditions, more auditions, a few forays out on the road with several different bands, and relocating to New York, Juilliard starts this Sunday! Orientation for grad school starts, and it will be a blur until christmas from here I'm sure! Be sure to check back, I'll try to keep the gigs updated and I hope to see you around town!

- Nick

Finally in NYC!

At long last, I made it through all of the travel, packing, moving, unpacking, traveling some more, and organizing. I am now relocated to NYC, and very excited to get started at Juilliard in just a few more weeks! Now just need to take some time to get to know the city...

See ya!
Nick

On the road!

As I write this, I am enroute to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware for a gig tonight with the Po Boys Brass Band! Today begins a whirlwind of activity for me, starting with todays gig and ending with being relocated to New York City! Over the next 5 weeks I will be in Rehoboth Beach, Austin Texas, Phoenix Arizona, Rochester, New York City, Rochester, and finally back in NYC.... it will be busy, but well worth the effort. Next week is the finals of the Carl Fontana competition at the ITA, wish me luck!

New Site!

Hope everyone likes the new site design! It took awhile, but eventually came up with this! Hopefully it will lead to me being able to keep it updated more than the last version of my site. Be sure to take a look at the calendar and see where I'll be playing next!

Nick

Summer Ahead

Thanks to all that attended the Boulder Coffee hit last night with my quintet, it was a lot of fun to be able to play a concert of my originals with some great musicians! Thanks to Chris Teal, Mike Frederick, Chris Ziemba, and Dave Baron for putting in the time to learn some challenging material!

The summer is shaping up to be a busy one! This week I'll be recording with the Al Chez and the Brothers of Funk Big Band, for that groups debut recording! Also on the horizon is the Rochester International Jazz Festival, always a great time of year to live here in Rochester, definitely looking forward to playing with the Dave Rivello Ensemble, Rick Holland/Evan Dobbins Little Big Band, Jazz Contingent, and the Po' Boys Brass Band at the festival this year!

On top of that all that, we are in the beginning stages of recording the next Po Boys album, planning for my trip to the ITA competition in Austin Texas in July, and relocating to NYC to start at Juilliard in the fall! I also uploaded a few new videos of my quintet to youtube (and posted on facebook), be sure to find "Nick Finzer Quintet" on facebook on become a fan!

Here's to hoping I survive the summer! See you on the other side...

Nick

Quintet Gigs!

Thanks to everyone who came out to the May 9th concert at Brighton Library! It was a great time to play my music for an appreciative audience! Thanks again to all the guys in the band for playing!

The next gig for my quintet will feature all of my new compositions! These tunes are a bit more involved than your standard real book tune, and have taken a lot of rehearsal to put together! I hope to see everyone out at Boulder Coffee (at Brooks Landing - 955 Genesee St in Rochester, near the U of R) from 7-830PM! This will be a one set show, and you'll even be done in time to get home for the season finale of Lost!

I hope to see you there, and thanks for stopping by!

Nick

This Week!

This week I will be headed to Phoenix, AZ for a little bit of relaxation, visiting family, and some music! Friday will feature my quartet at il Vinaio Restaurant in Mesa - 8-11PM, it's free, with the support of some great local musicians! We will be playing many of my tunes/arrangements as well as a number of jazz classics.

The quartet will feature:
Chris Pena on Piano
Andrew Schiller on Bass
Wes Anderson on Drums

Spread the word if you know anyone in Phoenix!

- Nick

Master's Degree Decision

Decided to attend Juilliard for my Master's degree starting this fall! I will be relocating from Rochester to New York City at the end of July or beginning of August! Looking forward to taking the next step in my career, meeting new people, playing some great music with great musicians!

Juilliard!

I got word last week that I was accepted into the Jazz Masters Program at the Juilliard School in New York City! I will be moving down to New York in late July or early August, looking forward to being in such an exciting place!

Upcoming Events and More....

Just returned from the tour to Spokane, Washington! What a great week of teaching and music making! It looks like DubbleStuff will be trying to play a bit more locally in the coming months so stay tuned for that...

I just booked a show with my quartet at Il Vinaio in Phoenix, Arizona where I will get to play music with some new musicians in a great city! I will be there Friday April 30th 8 to 11PM. Check it out if you are in the area...

But before that, there are several concerts in Rochester!, including one with my quintet at Lovincup on the evening of easter (4/3) for their jazz night 7 to 9! A few eastman recitals and a recording session coming up for the Rick Holland Little Big Band in May.

Also, hopefully I will be hearing back about grad schools soon!

Until next time -

Nick

On Tour

Today is day 4 of DubbleStuff's Pacific Northwest tour to Spokane, Washington. We've been having a great time meeting and playing with students at Mt. Spokane and Shadle Park High Schools, it has been inspirational to see so many young people interested in music, and openly sharing their passion with us.

Now it is time for us to gear up for a few college workshops at Whitworth and Gonzaga Universities, and a two club gigs this weekend. As this is my first time up in the Northwest it is also a great opportunity to relax and take in the great local scenery!

Lots of gigs on the horizon when I get back to Rochester, and the summer is shaping up to be quite busy, including a repeat performance at the Syracuse Jazz Festival with the Al Chez Brothers of Funk Big Band!

Until next time...

Nick

Done with Auditions!

Auditions were a little bit crazy down in NYC at Manhattan School and Juilliard, but luckily my grad school auditions are done now! On to the next thing... all the while waiting to hear if I got in!

Monday the band leaves for Spokane, and that should be a great week of playing, teaching, and meeting new people out in Washington. I've never been out to the Pacific northwest before, I'm looking forward to visiting a new place!

Thanks again for checking out the site! Check back soon for more updates....

Nick

Busy Weeks Ahead!

The last few weeks have been filled with new musical journeys for me! My first time really experiencing New Orleans for Mardi Gras was a blast! Got to sit in and play with some fabulous bands/musicians there as well as get a great feel for the city and it's culture! Awesome! Up next for me is Masters Degree auditions in New York City next week (3/3 and 3/4) at Juilliard and the Manhattan School of Music, wish me luck! Right after I get back from those auditions will be the second installment of the "Jazz in the 21st Century" Tours with my jazz/funk group DubbleStuff. We will head out to Spokane, WA from March 9th-16th doing a series of clinics and workshops at several schools in the area! A busy month, but it's better than being bored! Thanks for checking out the site, catch ya soon - Nick

Live Concert on Jazz 90.1FM!

One week from tonight, the Nick Finzer Quintet will play a one hour set of original music on Jazz 90.1FM here in Rochester, NY! The concert is from 7-8PM on Wednesday January 20th, and if you aren't in Rochester, fear not! Check out www.jazz901.org and click on the live stream to hear the concert from anywhere in the world! Hope you can make time to listen!

- Nick

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! 2010 is shaping up to be quite a handful! Be sure to check the gigs page to find up to date information about my performances. Starting January 21st, every other thursday at the Village Rock Cafe in East Rochester I will once again be playing with the Dave Rivello Ensemble from 9-midnight, through at least may if not june! Also, the second sunday and last wednesday of every month I will be playing withe the Rick Holland Evan Dobbins Little Big Band at Lovincup out by RIT from 7-9PM. Hope to see you around!

Nick