{{Short description|American jazz clarinet player (1900–1973)}} {{other people}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Albert Nicholas | image = Albert Nicholas (Gottlieb 06571).jpg | caption = Nicholas in [[Jimmy Ryan's]] club, [[New York City]], {{circa|1947}}. Image: [[William P. Gottlieb]] | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date|1900|05|27}} | birth_place = [[New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]], U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1973|09|03|1900|05|27}} | death_place = [[Basel]], Switzerland | genre = [[Jazz]] | occupation = Musician | instrument = Clarinet | years_active = 1910s–1973 }}

'''Albert Nicholas''' (May 27, 1900 –&nbsp;September 3, 1973)<ref name="LarkinJazz">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-580-8|page=304}}</ref> was an American [[jazz]] clarinet player, who was mostly based in Europe after 1953.

==Career== Nicholas's primary instrument was the [[clarinet]], which he studied with [[Lorenzo Tio]] in his hometown of [[New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]], United States.<ref name="LarkinJazz"/> Late in the 1910s, he played with [[Buddy Petit]], [[King Oliver]], and [[Manuel Perez (musician)|Manuel Perez]].<ref name="LarkinJazz"/> He spent three years in the [[Merchant Marines]] and then joined Oliver in [[Chicago]] from 1925 to 1927.<ref name="LarkinJazz"/> After time in East Asia and Egypt, Nicholas returned to [[New York City]] in 1928 and played with [[Luis Russell]] until 1933,<ref name="LarkinJazz"/> playing there with [[Red Allen]], [[Charlie Holmes]], and [[J. C. Higginbotham]]. Later he played with [[Chick Webb]], [[Louis Armstrong]] (with Russell) and [[Jelly Roll Morton]].<ref name="LarkinJazz"/>

The [[Dixieland jazz]] revival of the late 1940s reinvigorated his career; he played with [[Art Hodes]], [[Bunk Johnson]], and [[Kid Ory]],<ref name="LarkinJazz"/> and had a regular gig with [[Ralph Sutton]] in 1948.

In 1953, Nicholas moved to [[Paris]], France;<ref name=SyncopatedTimes>{{cite web|url=https://syncopatedtimes.com/albert-nichols-in-europe/|title=Albert Nicholas in Europe|first=Scott|last=Yanow|author-link=Scott Yanow|website=The Syncopated Times|date=December 22, 2018|access-date=October 25, 2024}}</ref> except for recording sessions in the U.S. in 1959–60, he remained in Europe for most of the rest of his life.<ref name="LarkinJazz"/>

Nicholas died in [[Basel]], Switzerland, in September 1973, at the age of 73.

==Discography== * ''Albert Nicholas & Mezz Mezzrow'' ([[Jazztone]], 1956) * ''The Scobey Story Vol. 1'' (Good Time Jazz, 1959) * ''Albert Nicholas with Art Hodes' All-Star Stompers'' ([[Delmark]], 1964) * ''Albert's Blues'' (77 Records, 1966) * ''Barney Bigard/Albert Nicholas'' ([[RCA Records|RCA]], 1969) * ''A Tribute to Jelly Roll Morton'' ([[Storyville Records|Storyville]], 1972) * ''Albert Nicholas and The Traditional Jazz Studio'' ([[Supraphon]], 1972) * ''Albert Nicholas with Alan Elsdon's Band Vol. 1'' (Jazzology, 1995) * ''Albert Nicholas with Alan Elsdon's Band Vol. 2'' (Jazzology, 1996) * ''Story 1926–1947'' (EPM, 1998) * ''New Orleans Clarinet'' (Sanctuary, 2006) * ''Albert Nicholas & Herb Hall'' (GHB, 2015) * ''Albert Nicholas In Europe'' (Upbeat URCD284) * ''As It Is When It Was'' (2020)

==References== ;Footnotes {{Reflist}}

;General references * [[Scott Yanow]], [{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p7233/biography|pure_url=yes}} "Albert Nicholas"] at [[AllMusic]]

==External links== {{Commons category|Albert Nicholas}} * {{YouTube|48rv0wMq3u4|"Eccentric Stomp Albert Nicholas 1964"}}. * [http://www.doctorjazz.co.uk/rogernich.html "Roger Richard talks to Albert Nicholas"]. Storyville. * [https://syncopatedtimes.com/albert-nicholas-1900-1973/ Albert Nicholas (1900-1973)] at the Red Hot Jazz Archive * William Russell, [https://www.doctorjazz.co.uk/albertnw78.html "Albert Nicholas talks about Jelly Roll"]. Published in ''The Second Line'' magazine, Winter 1978, Vol. XXX, pages 34—39.

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholas, Albert}} [[Category:1900 births]] [[Category:1973 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century American musicians]] [[Category:American jazz clarinetists]] [[Category:Delmark Records artists]] [[Category:Jazz musicians from New Orleans]]