Nick Weldon was born on March 24, 1954 in Cambridge, England. He is the son Fay Weldon, a writer and Colyn Davies, a folk singer and actor. His stepfather Ron Weldon introduced him to jazz. Nick attended Keele University where he learned blues and received a First Class degree in Philosophy and French. In 1979, Nick started his career as a professional jazz pianist after he graduated from the Barry Summer School with Simon Wallace, Martin Speake and Clark Tracey. Nick was a well-known swinging sideman who played in the bands of Don Weller, Bobby Wellins, Tommy Chase and Martin Speake. He was often called upon to accompany visiting American jazz musicians such as Johnny Griffin, Sonny Stitt and Teddy Edwards. In the eighties and nineties, Nick was a regular at Soho’s Ronnie Scott’s Club and Peter Ind’s Bass, Tenor Clef, and Steve Rubie’s 606 Club. Nick has enjoyed many different types of music. He was part of Latin bands and Joe Jackson’s Jumpin Jive Band. They recorded the famous album and toured America and Britain. Nick was a long-standing friend of Spike Robinson (a Denver tenor player and UK resident), and together they recorded Young Lions Old Tigers, an album that won numerous awards. Nick enjoys playing in a trio piano setting and recorded two excellent albums, Lavender’s blue and Live at The Albert, with double bassist Andrew Cleyndert (drummer) and Nick. Verge Nick has them on his label. He is an arranger and accompanist for singers and was part of the bands Annie Ross, Sheila Jordan and Carol Kidd. Nick was the arranger for Ian Shaw’s New York album, A World Still Turning. Nick loves singers. You can read his thoughts about them in the Jazz Piano Archive on Scribd. Nick has been working with Tim Wells, Pat Crumly, and Mark Fletcher to produce Weaver of Dreams. Here Nick’s talents as a soloist, composer, arranger and accompanist are clearly displayed. Nick is also part of Steve Waterman’s sextet and plays on his excellent album Stablemates. He was the producer of Red Dragonfly, a Japanese crossover pianist Taeko Kunishima’s album. He is currently a member of the Andra Sparks Quintet (which also includes drummer Trevor Tomkins, saxophonist Art Themen and double bassist Jeff Clyne) and he plays, arranges, and tours with them. Nick is an avid double bass player, as well as a jazz and orchestral musician. He has played freelance gigs, and has a trio playing with Andra Sparks as well as Dominic Ashworth, guitarist. He regularly plays with several ensembles including The Northampton Symphony Orchestra and The Rehearsal Orchestra. Read Nick’s Bass Journal to learn more about his double-bass experiences, available at Scribd at www.nickweldon.com
