Nick Brignola
Nicholas Thomas ("Nick") Brignola (born July 17, 1936 in Troy , New York , † February 8, 2002 in Albany , New York) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist . As secondary instruments he also played the other saxophones , clarinet and flutes , occasionally even bass . With his brilliant, gripping, but rhythmically crystal-clear playing, he was one of the dominant voices of bebop-influenced mainstream jazz, winner of the down beat poll for his main instrument from 1998 to 2002 and Grammy award winner for his album "LA Bound" from 1981 His work includes more than 50 albums, both as a sideman with Miles Davis , Thelonious Monk , Woody Herman and Buddy Rich and under his own name and with the Doug Sertl Big Band. In 1997 he formed the Three Baritone Saxophone Band with the baritone players Ronnie Cuber and Gary Smulyan .
He first studied at Ithaca College ; Down Beat's selection as a "New Star" earned him a 1957 scholarship to the Berklee College of Music .
Nick Brignola died of cancer at the age of 65.
Discographic notes
- LA Beyond (Night Life, 1979) with Bill Watrous , Dick Berk
- On a Different Level (Reservoir, 1989) with Kenny Barron , Dave Holland , Jack DeJohnette
- Like Old Times (Reservoir, 1994) with Claudio Roditi
- The Flight of the Eagle (Reservoir, 1996) with Kenny Barron
- Tour De Force (Reservoir, 2000) with Eddie Gomez
Web links
- Obituary in The New York Times
- Obituary in Jazzhouse
- Web presence
- Nick Brignola at Allmusic (English)
- Nick Brignola at Discogs (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Brignola, Nick |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Brignola, Nicholas Thomas (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz baritone saxophonist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 17, 1936 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Troy , New York State |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 8, 2002 |
| Place of death | Albany |