Nicholas Brust:

August 19th, Webster Jazz Festival, Main Stage 4:15pm

Listen in from Nick's Newest Album: Frozen in Time

Heralded as a premiere saxophonist of his generation, Boston-based jazz saxophonist Nicholas Brust (pronounced “Bruhst”) has established his voice in the world of modern instrumental music. He has found his niche as a bandleader and composer, taking advantage of the numerous textures and combinations available in small-group improvised music. Brust has performed with numerous highly acclaimed musicians, including Gilad Hekselman, The Peter Silver Big Band (sharing the stage with Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Owens, Steve Wilson and others), guitarist Ben Eunson, Kristina Koller (appearing in her Quintet at the 2020 NYC Winter Jazz Fest), and many others. Nicholas is currently on faculty at New England Conservatory as part of its Prep/Continuing Education division in addition to maintaining his own private studio.

He released his debut full-length album, Frozen in Time, with Fresh Sound Records in October 2020. The album features exclusively original material composed by Nicholas and has received international critical acclaim from All About Jazz, Jazz Journal UK, Modern Jazz Today, Rootstime Music, and the Jazz Quad, among numerous others. The album has been described as “a very impressive piece of work from a saxophonist whose grasp of tone colour makes him immediately distinctive and listenable” (Brian Morton, Jazz Journal UK). Marc Philiips of Part-Time Audophile exclaimed, “It’s as if one of your favorite movie stars from long ago suddenly started telling you about all the secrets of the universe.” Nicholas’s next album, Daybreak, will be released early in 2023.  He has many influences, but the most prominent voices that have influenced his style in recent years are Brian Blade, Pat Methany, George Coleman, Robert Glasper, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Kenny Garrett, and Roy Hargrove.

Nick has a Master of Music in jazz performance from New England Conservatory as well as a Bachelor of Music in jazz studies and music education from the Eastman School of Music. Nick is also a graduate of Webster Schroeder HS.