Lots of excitement this fall with Nico - great festivals (Chicago Jazz Festival, Catalina Jazztrax Festival, Gardena, Casselberry, Rehoboth Beach), great shows (Mable House Atlanta, Melbourne FL, Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City IN, Manchester CT) and the American Smooth Jazz Awards in Chicago.  Hope you can come to one or more of these terrific events!

The American Smooth Jazz Award nominees have been announced, and voting has begun.  Nick has been nominated as Entertainer of the Year and Guitarist of the Year AND we hope you'll vote for him!  It was announced some time ago that Nick will be hosting the Awards Ceremony as well as serving as Music Director.  Please visit the website and vote for all of your favorites - we hope Nick is among them!

Nick is delighted to welcome to his home town good friend and sax legend Gerald Albright at the Harold Washington Theater, DuSable Museum for a very special Valentine's Day celebration.  There will be two shows, 6:30 and 9 p.m.  Don't wait too long to get your tickets, this is sure to be a sell-out!

In a New National Campaign  Nick joins forces with The 'Pair" Tree, a Chicago-area based charity founded by friends Denise and Alix Doro, and Mike Nordskog of Wine And Jazz magazine to create a national silent auction with all proceeds going to breast cancer research. Nick's endorser Epiphone Guitars generously donated a Broadway archtop guitar and case, and Mike reached out to Tobin James Cellars who donated two nights at their on-property Guest House and a Magnum of 2006 James Gang Reserve Zinfandel autographed by Tobin James, and more!

Nick and his views on giving back are the feature article in the Nov/Dec issue of Wine and Jazz magazine, and Nick appears on the cover - his first for a national magazine.

Visit The 'Pair Tree' Foundation website to learn more about this people-friendly approach to a very serious issue and the wonderful silent auction. Support breast cancer research.

Nick is thrilled to announce that he will be joining the on-air talent line-up for SmoothJazzNow.com's streaming of great music beginning Monday, October 12. His show will run from 6-10 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday.
Here's the Press Release:
Smooth Jazz Now.com is very proud to announce the addition of another popular personality to their on-air line-up. Nick Colionne, one of the top guitarists in Jazz, will host 'Keepin' It Cool' starting Monday October 12th.
"I'm really jazzed about playing DJ!" says Colionne, "I've always tried to be a communicator with my music, and having the opportunity to talk directly to so many music lovers on the radio adds another dimension to that communication that I'm very excited about."
John Beaudin, owner and Program Director of Smooth Jazz Now says, "Nick has that relaxing timbre in his voice that I love in broadcasters. He's the James Earl Jones or Geoffrey Holder of Jazz and this guy knows what he's talking about. This gig was made for him."
"Smooth Jazz Now was an easy choice for me," says Colionne, "I've know John Beaudin for a while now, and he's an industry innovator. When he approached me about doing my own show I jumped at the chance to work with him."
'Keepin' It Cool' will be scheduled Monday to Friday from 6-10 PM. Colionne says, "Smooth Jazz Now affords me the opportunity to dig deeper into artist catalogs and present some great music that probably hasn't been heard on radio before. This holds a lot of appeal to me and is a big reason why I decided to do this show. I'm going to be presenting Jazz from my point of view, so there are going to be some deep cuts and funky tunes. I also plan on bringing my music friends into the mix on my show as guests so there is going to be some interesting perspective there as well."
"Colionne's new show rounds out a complete weekday schedule for Smooth Jazz Now. The popular site announced last week the additions of Cameron Smith of Smooth Jazz TV fame as the mid-day host (noon-3PM) and famous Jazz guitarist Ken Navarro at the helm of the 'Drive Time' show (3-6PM). John Beaudin, who has been programming the format since 1986, handles the morning show and Shannon Edwards hosts late night duties."
TUNE AT 6 P.M. EASTERN ON MONDAY FOR NICK'S DEBUT!

Nick has been getting in some serious fishing during these last days of beautiful Chicago weather, and also finding time to rehearse his new show which will debut at the JazzTrax Catalina Island Jazz Festival October 2.  Cool!
 
Speaking of Catalina, Nick is finally going to stay for the whole weekend so he can enjoy the great music as a fan, so if you see him out and about be sure and say HI!  Also coming, some terrific events right up to New Year's -  Seasons of Music in Bowie, MD, Southern Connecticut State's John Lyman Center, the Food and Wine Festival courtesy WLOQ in Orlando, Jammin' In Jamaica with Warren Hill and friends, and then his Christmas shows followed by a great New Year's Eve event in Philadelphia.  They're all on the Tour page.

Nick's recently released new single, "The Big Windy Cat", has zoomed up the jazz internet charts to #5 in just a couple of weeks.  Congrats to Nick on a great tune.

Nick's second single from his latest cd NO LIMITS will be "The Big Windy Cat" and it goes to radio July 20.
 
Nick has a story that goes along with his new tune - when he's on the road the other artists always say to him "There's the cat from the Big Windy".  It goes without saying that Nick HAD to turn that into a song, and of course the "Cat" in the title is Nick himself! 
 
It's one hip tune...check out a sample on Nick's MUSIC & VIDEO page and if you don't hear it soon on your favorite terrestrial, satellite, cable or internet radio station let them know you want to!
 
You can get "The Big Windy Cat" and NO LIMITS via the iTunes link at the bottom of the web page.
 

When our Chicago smooth jazz station WNUA died an ignoble death a while back, some of Nick's favorite people at the station decided there WAS an option and now there is ChiTownSmoothJazz.com with Rick O'Dell and the lovely Danae Alexander back in their respective radio saddles!
 
They play lots more of Nick's music, and that of many fine artists...24/7 and the station's website has a very cool feedback feature that gets actual responses you can read online!  There are a lot of playlist features that are very cool, too.  Give a listen!
 

Nick kicked off his summer tour with a Fourth of July performance at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort and Spa sponsored by the Tucson Jazz Society.  Tucson may be hot, but they like their jazz even hotter and Nick and the band had a fantastic time!
 
Visit his TOUR page to see when Nick and the band will be where YOU are, dates are always being added so check back frequently!

Due to the complete refurbishing of the m/s Noordam (wow...as if it wasn't spectacular enough to begin with!) the dates for the Smooth Jazz Cruise 2011 have been pushed up a week.  Sailings are now Jan. 16-23 and Jan. 23-30, 2011.  Also added are Marcus Miller as Host and Music Director.  See the Tour section for complete line-up and web link to the Cruise.  Nick will be hosting their NEW Jam Sessions and he's pretty jazzed about that...mention him and his code, NC1, when inquiring about the cruise!

Nick recently completed a run at the Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho, London with good friends Dave Koz and Brian Simpson.  Six sold-out shows and an incredible audience made this a gig to remember for a long, long time.  Thanks to Jimi King of SKY.fm for putting this tremendous event together.

Nick is delighted to announce that he will be part of a stellar line-up assembled for The Smooth Jazz Cruise 2011 which has just been announced, sailing on Holland America's luxurious m/s  Noordam from Ft. Lauderdale, FL to San Juan, St.Thomas, Tortola and Half Moon Cay.
 
Nick will be hosting his own special brand of Jam Sessions as well as performing in his own headliner show.  He joins Host Wayman Tisdale, Music Night Host David Sanborn, Special Guest Boney James, and stars Gerald Albright, Rick Braun, Norman Brown, Jonathan Butler, George Duke, Candy Dulfer, Richard Elliott, Jeff Golub & Philippe Saisse, singers Larry Briggs and Simone, Comic/Host Alonzo Bodden and Cruise Hosts Pat Prescott and Dane Butcher for a jazz cruise experience that's going to be totally amazing!

Equally great is the fact that you have your choice of two seven day sailings....
the first is January 9 - 16 and the second is January 16 - 23,  2011.

From Essence magazine regarding the Chris Brown/Rihanna situation :

Celebrities Speak Out on the Disturbing Case

We called a few celebrities to get their opinion on the matter and here's what some had to say:

"While our legal system will deal with this with all the rights and protections we have in our great country, public opinion forms quickly. The Chris Brown and Rihanna situation was and is very disturbing to me. I looked at them as a couple and thought here are two young African-American kids who have great careers and they have each other. There is no excuse—temper, drinking or whatever—for man to put his hands on a woman violently," he said. "We all get angry but we have to stop and think before we act because you can change your whole life in a second and another person's as well. I hope she gets better soon."
—Jazz legend Nick Colionne
 
Also quoted were Patti Austin,Sheryl Lee Ralph, Juanita Bynum, Kanye West and more

Nick was interviewed in the February 9, 2009 issue of JET Magazine regarding the agenda of our new president, Barack Obama.  Nick was the only jazz instrumentalist included in the stellar group composed of: Aretha Franklin, Minister Louis Farrakkan, Dorothy Height (chairwoman emeritus of the National Council of Negro Women), the Revs. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Al Sharpton, Russell Simmons, Dick Gregory, soul singer Frankie Beverly, John Legend, Eddie Levert, Akon, Nelly, Shaun Robinson of Access Hollwood, gospel singer Donnie McClurkin, actor Sheryl Lee Ralph, Patti Austin, Nnenna Freelon and singer-songwriter Siedah Garrett.

JET Magazine, a Johnson Publication, has a weekly circulation of 950,000.
 

As previously announced, Nick has again been nominated as International Instrumental Artist of the Year by the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards. Nick won this award in 2007 and it would be tremendous if your votes made him the 2009 winner! One vote per email address...and while visiting the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards website, order your tickets for the great live, televised show at www.canadiansmoothjazzawards.com. THANK YOU!

To vote for Nick -

>>click here!

---

There's a new Jazz Series coming to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area in Texas and Nick is delighted to be part of it! This series, which kicks off in February, will be hosted by the one-and-only Cameron Smith. Saturday, March 21 Nick will be joined by good friend and saxman Marion Meadows for two shows at the Bishop Arts Theater Center. Join Nick, Marion and Cameron for a great night of jazz, funk and more!

Nick's single NO LIMITS is #6 on the Media Waves chart, which measures satellite and internet airplay across the globe. It's also #5 on Live365.com's Smooth Jazz chart. Nick would like to thank all of the internet station operators for their support of not only his music, but jazz in general. Where there's a will, there's a way! Hats off to all of you (you know who you are!).

Nick is delighted that NO LIMITS was listed as one of the Top 10 CDs of 2008 by Smooth Jazz News. Quite an honor!

The Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards have again nominated Nick as Best International Instrumental Artist! Nick won this Award in 2007, succeeding Chris Botti.

Nick is thrilled to be nominated again and hopes you will vote for him! Watch this site for the link to the voting page which will be posted after January 12, 2009 when voting opens. If you would like to be automatically reminded, sign up for Nick's newsletter. The link to do so is at the bottom of every web page.

For the fourth year, Nick will headline and host the jam sessions on the Smooth Music Cruise, sailing on the Celebrity "Century" from Miami on January 31, 2009 to Key West, Coco Cay and the Bahamas, returning on February 5. Join Nick and Cruise host Norman Brown along with Boney James, Larry Carlton, Mindi Abair, Heather Headley and many more of your favorite artists on the best jazz event on land or sea! Visit the official 2009 Smooth Music Cruise website or call 1-877-9729. Give them Nick's code, NICK001, and ask aout the special pricing now available!


>> visit the Smooth Music Cruise 2009 website

---

Nick's first single from his new CD NO LIMITS is the title track and is still moving up the charts. Make sure your local radio station knows you appreciate hearing "No LImits" as well as Nick's recurrent tunes on the station. Nick thanks you for it!

Nick heads into the fall season with some great dates coming up, and some great dates in the memory banks! August was full of birthday celebrations at multiple events including receiving a cake shaped like his Epiphone guitar and being serenaded by good friend Mindi Abair on stage. This past weekend saw Nick closing out the Kettle Moraine Jazz Festival by inviting another good friend, Jim Peterik of Survivor and Ides of March fame (who co-wrote two vocals on NIck's new CD) for Nick's encore of "Godfather J", his tribute to the Godfather of Soul, James Brown...which brought down the house!

He's lookiing forward to his September dates which have him co-headlining at the WIlson Creek Winery with buddy Marion Meadows, and headlining in at the Fayetteville Jazz On The River show andat the Atlanta Jazz Festival with the Rippingtons and Boney James. Stop by after the show and say "hi" - Nick loves meeting fellow jazz lovers!

XM Satellite Radio, America's no. 1 satellite radio service (featuring 68 commercial free music channels), is assembling a small audience of friends and fans of NICK COLIONNE for a taping session with the artist on the late morning of August 29, 2008 at XM's Washington, DC broadcast studios.

The seating for this special program is extremely limited and approximately 40 people will be chosen on a "first-come, first-served" basis determined by when their email is received at XM. If you are interested and are 100% confident that you can be in Washington, DC on the late morning of August 29, 2008, please send an email complete with your full name and contact information to live@xmradio.com.

Make sure to include " NICK COLIONNE" in the subject line of your message to live@xmradio.com or your email will not be considered.

If you wish to come with a guest - one other person only - please include that person's name and contact information (email and cell phone nos. are important in case there is a change in schedule) as well. If you are selected to attend, you will receive an email with the exact time and further instructions. Only people who have received this email will be put on the guest list and will be able to attend.

Hope you can make it if you are in the DC area!

---

Baldwin "Smitty" Smith and Nick talk about music, cruising, friendship and lots more...


>> read interview

---

Anne Aufderheide talks to Nick about everything from music to fishing to mentoring, and more...


>> read interview

---

Michele Witten interviews Nick on his career, new project...and shoes!


>> read interview

---

Nick heads to Canada for the debut of NO LIMITS on Friday, August 1.