“Nick Hempton is a postmodern ‘soul’ player... his meaty but sophisticated style is an instantly recognizable delight.”
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Nick's Bio
“What makes Nick Hempton’s music and persona so innately compelling that one can’t turn away? Perhaps it’s that he’s a character, in the sincerest of ways.” (NYC Jazz Record)
Nick Hempton is an alto and tenor saxophonist, playing swinging soul jazz for the people. A veteran of the New York scene, he fills rooms big and small throughout the city, as well as concert halls and festivals around the world. Influenced by the greats of the instrument– Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt, Cannonball Adderley– and informed by a misspent youth playing Rhythm & Blues and Ska in his native Australia, Hempton's jazz is “gritty, entertaining, and thoroughly modern.” (Flophouse Magazine)…
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“What makes Nick Hempton’s music and persona so innately compelling that one can’t turn away? Perhaps it’s that he’s a character, in the sincerest of ways.” — NYC Jazz Record
“Nick Hempton is a postmodern ‘soul’ player... (his) meaty but sophisticated style, inspired not only by (Gene) Ammons but also by Dexter Gordon, Stanley Turrentine and Sonny Stitt (switching equally fluently between tenor and alto sax) is an instantly recognizable delight. He’s smooth, he’s juicy and his tone wears a three-day stubble beard. Hempton, to paraphrase King Crimson, is a 21st century chitlin’ man.” – Flophouse Magazine
“Gutsy tenor, soaring alto... this is meaningful playing. Like Dexter Gordon, Hempton makes every note count... It Shouldn’t Happen to a Dream- one of the all-time classic ballad performances.” – Lance Liddle, Bebop Spoken Here
“It’s hard to imagine a saxophonist with a better sound than Hempton... His measured and impeccably logical solos are a reminder of the virtue of understatement... In many places I hear the magisterial authority of Dexter Gordon.” – Eric Myers, The Weekend Australian
"Confidence and daring permeate this live date... engagingly bluesy originals with pretty takes on the classics... It features Hempton's warmhearted style at its most curious..." – Carlo Wolff, DownBeat
“Highly entertaining, hard-driving and solid swinging modern jazz... creative, intense and superb.”
–Edward Blanco, E-JazzNews“Big fat grooves, a real sense of swing, strong melodies and even stronger rhythms... this is a high quality collection of straight-ahead jazz.”
–Bruce Lindsay, All About Jazz
Select Past Appearances
Smalls Jazz Club, Dizzy’s, The Blue Note, Iridium (NYC); Sydney Opera House, Manly Jazz Festival, Darling Harbour Jazz Festival (Australia); Ronnie Scott’s (UK); Duc des Lombards, Jazz en Mars Festival, Sancy SnowJazz Festival, Sunside (France); Ascona Jazz Festival (Switzerland); Jazzkeller, King Georg (Germany); Gregory’s Jazz Club (Italy); “I Love Jazz” Festival (Brazil); Hong Kong Convention Centre, Chongqing Grand Theatre, East Shore Jazz Club Beijing (China); Northgate Jazz Co-op, Alone Together (Thailand); Esplanade Theatre (Singapore); Motion Blue (Indonesia); Blues Alley, Vitello’s, Winter’s, TD Jazz Fest, Cliff Bell’s, The Jazz Cellar (North America), etc.
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