Clovis Nicolas, a bassist, was born in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), and grew up in Provence, France. He studied Philosophy at the University of Aix-en-Provence. In 1996, he graduated from the Conservatory of Music of Marseilles. He then settled in Paris. Clovis quickly earned a reputation for his precise and refined bass playing. He performed with many artists including Brad Mehldau and Andre Ceccarelli. He recorded four albums with the latter, including “Hymne au Soleil”, which won three Grammy Awards in 2004. Clovis can also be heard on several other recordings. He has toured extensively with Baptiste Trotignon (Montreux Marciac), Montreal, JVC Festival Paris La Villette and Vienne), as well as many major international festivals like Montreux, Marciac. Clovis was awarded the Lavoisier Scholarship by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2002-2003. He has performed at many venues, including Jazz Standard, Blue Note and Kennedy Center, Smalls Jazz Club and Birdland, Jazz At Lincoln Center and Smoke Jazz Club. Clovis joined Juilliard School’s Jazz Program in 2009 and graduated three years later with a Bachelor of Music and a Master Degree. He had studied classical composition with Kendall Briggs and bass with Ron Carter. Clovis traveled the globe for masterclasses and concerts with Juilliard Jazz (Brazil , Colombia, Japan ). Clovis was featured at the Alice Tully Hall concert “Ron Carter 75”, where he performed alongside renowned guests Herbie Hancock and Mulgrew Miller, Lewis Nash as well as Benny Golson, Buster Williams, and Lewis Nash. Clovis was presented to the audience that evening by Danny Glover, who introduced him as the inaugural recipient for the “Ron Carter Scholarship Award.” Clovis has kept a busy schedule on and off the stage. He plays in Samora Pinderhughes’ interdisciplinary project, “The Transformations Suite,” which features musicians like Christian Scott, Marcus Gilmore Jr., Mark Whitfield Jr. Dayna Stephens and Adam O’Farrill. He is also a member of “DrumBattle”, a band that is co-led and led by Kenny Washington and Joe Farnsworth. He can be heard on the latest recordings of Bruce Harris (“Beginning”) and vibraphonist Behn Gilece (“Walk of Fire”), as well as the Uptown Jazz Tentet (“There it Is”), Laurent Courthaliac (“All My Life” – Best Album of 2016, by the French Jazz Academy), which he tours with around the globe (China, Mexico. South Korea. Clovis is a busy sideman and has already released two albums with Sunnyside Records. His debut album “Nine Stories”, featuring a well-organized sextet made up of young lions was well received by the media, including an inclusion in DownBeat Magazine’s “Best Albums Of The year 2014” list. His second album, “Freedom Suite Ensuite,” was released in 2018. It featured a smaller group with drummer Kenny Washington. from https://clovisnicolas.com
