Nicky Barbato, a Queens-based guitarist, composer, and educator, is known for his work as a bandleader, musician, and teacher. He attended Lagond Music School in high school. Standing Room Only was one of his school’s most prestigious performance bands. He toured Montreal, Baltimore and the Northeastern United States and played at renowned New York City venues like The Bitter End or the Knitting Factory. Barbato then attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, and received a degree in guitar performance in 2013. He went on to New York University (New York) for his master’s in music education immediately after graduating. He submitted his master’s thesis, The Music Classroom as A Safe Space: Strategies For Teaching Jazz Improvisation. In addition, he was awarded Outstanding Potential in Music Education. Barbato has performed many times with Omar Hakim and Richie Morales as well as Charlie Lagond and Rusty Holloway over the years. Nicky Barbato, a working musician, is active in the New York City area. He has been teaching at Lagond Music School, Elmsford, New York, since 2010. He is currently the leader of the Nicky Barbato Project and has released a solo album, 1953. The Nicky Barbato project is a guitar-centric ground that blends surf guitar and pedal steel, 1960s soundscapes, jazz harmonys, retro pop melodicism, and pedal steel twang. Barbato’s original instrumental compositions are featured on the project. Their debut album Every Day is a Bad Hair Day, was released in March 2019. *1953 is an anti solo jazz guitar album that draws inspiration from Chet Atkins and Jimi Hendrix as well as George Benson and Jim Campilongo. It consists of five original arrangements of standard and popular songs. 1953 was released to vinyl and digital download in April of 2017. from https://nickybarbato.com
