Nick Rixen

I was born in the UK but grew up in Germany. I studied jazz and classical piano at the conservatoires of the Berlin ‘Hochschule der Kunste’ from 1986-1989, and subsequently the Amsterdam ‘Hoogeschool voor de Kunsten’ from 1989-1994. I moved back to the UK and London in 1995, where I have been living and working since. My main teachers and mentors as a student were the accomplished Walter Norris in Berlin and Rob Madna in Amsterdam. My pianistic influences are diverse, ranging from classical composers such as Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Debussy, Ravel and Albeniz to jazz pianists like Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, Brad Mehldau, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and Ahmad Jamal, and Latin American pianists such as Chucho Valdez, Eddie Palmieri and Alfredo Rodriguez. As a band leader I have produced four jazz albums over the years, featuring my own compositions, two as a piano trio: ‘Blueprint’ (2002) and ‘Impressions’ (2014), and two as a quartet: ‘Nick Rixen Quartet’ (2008) and ‘Points of View’ (2010). The latter two are distributed online by the American label ‘Art of Life Records’. In addition to leading my own band, I have appeared as a sideman with many bands and collaborated with some of the top Dutch and UK jazz musicians, performing at many jazz clubs. I have also worked extensively as a solo pianist in bars, hotels, on cruise ships, and at functions. And needless to say, I continue to be available for such work both as a solo pianist and with any line up required.