Praised by All About Jazz for her “warm and supple instrument that serves as a
dispensary of emotional power,” Nicky Schrire is a vocalist, composer and arranger
whose adventurous spirit reflects her international upbringing.
London-born, South African-raised and now based in NYC, Schrire graduated from
the Manhattan School of Music where she earned a Masters of Music Degree under
the tutelage of Peter Eldridge, Theo Bleckmann and Dave Liebman.
Growing up in Cape Town, South Africa, Schrire performed with artists such as Arno
Carstens, Judith Sephuma, Sibongile Khumalo and Abdullah Ibrahim. Since moving to
New York, she has performed her music in New York (55Bar, the Kitano), Boston
(Scullers Jazz Club), Los Angeles (The Blue Whale), London (The Forge), Dublin
(National Concert Hall), and South Africa (Standard Bank Youth Jazz Festival). Often
praised for her choice of repertoire, Hardbop Jazz Journal described her as “clever
and understated” while the Ottawa Citizen’s Peter Hum noted that “while [Schrire’s]
esthetic may be free and unbounded, her music is anything but casual.”
A semi-finalist in the "Jazz Voices" Competition (Klaipeda, Lithuania), and a finalist in
the "Voicingers International Vocal Jazz Competition" (Zory, Poland), Schrire’s
“irrepressible style” (LondonJazz) makes her an in demand musician both as a
bandleader and as a sideman. She lent her voice to New York drummer, Brian Adler’s
“Helium Project”, which featured artists such as Kate McGarry, Dave Eggar and Ben
Monder, and, most recently, Basak Yavuz’s debut album, which also features Dave
Liebman, Richie Barshay and Peter Eldridge.
Her debut album, “Freedom Flight”, was released in 2012 to critical acclaim and
landed on “Best Releases of 2012” lists from All About Jazz, Jazz History Online, Step
Tempest and Popdose. Jason Crane (The Jazz Session) described the project as “an
album by a talented, confident singer with a fresh approach and the voice to bring
her ideas to life.” Crane also noted that “[Schrire’s] debut recording [is filled] with
moments that remind us of the power of the human voice and its ability to tell a
story.”
Schrire’s sophomore release, “Space And Time”, features duets with pianists Fabian
Almazan, Gerald Clayton and Gil Goldstein. Produced by Matt Pierson, the album will
be released on Magenta Records through eOne Distribution in September 2013. Her
EP “To The Spring” (a trio project with Fabian Almazan and Desmond White that
documents six original songs) will also be released in 2013.