Grady Nichols, Jazz Sax

Saxophonist Grady Nichols

Contemporary Jazz / Pop Instrumental

Grady Nichols is one of the most exciting instrumental artists on the concert circuit today. His high energy shows features a vast selection of original and cover tunes. Grady blends contemporary jazz, pop and adult contemporary styles, peppering his show with classics such as Motown hits and songs from the 80s and 90s. His performances move seamlessly from hit smooth jazz tunes like "Tuesday Morning," and "Sneak" to "Bellissimo," a driving contemporary jazz number. He may then move on to a soulful rendition of Kylie Minogue's hit, "Can't Get You Out Of My Head."

The foundation for his solid live show comes from working with top name producers who are also hit songwriters and seasoned performers. The result is material rich with depth providing a basis to deliver strong live performances as well as great recordings. Grady's penchant for pushing musical boundaries has given him the opportunity to work with some top named producers and artists from various genres on his CDs.

His last release, "Take Me With You," utilized the talents of rocker/artist/ producer/songwriter Zac Maloy (lead singer of The Nixons, co-writer of hits with Carrie Underwood, David Cook, Daughtry). Zac and Grady co-wrote five songs for this CD including "Nashville" which was featured on The Weather Channel. Leigh Nash of Sixpence None The Richer ("Kiss Me," "There She Goes") added her distinctive vocals on a cover of Robert Palmer's "Every Kind of People." And for a fun twist, Grady recruited DJ/Producer/Re-mix engineer Andy Caldwell to create a dance version of the title track.

Grammy nominated jazz fusion pioneer Jeff Lorber produced "Sophistication" with smooth jazz legend Paul Brown mixing. Jeff calls Grady "the awesome new sax player for the millennium." Chris Botti joined Grady as a guest artist on "End of the Night." Sophistication received rave reviews and national radio airplay for singles "Tuesday Morning" and "Allright."

Grady's live CD, "Mysterious Intentions," featured special guest Bill Champlain (Chicago). Bill says of Grady: "Grady uses the chops to get to his heart and from his heart it gets to you." Bill and Grady teamed up for a soulful version of "Heaven Help Us All" and "Amazing Grace."

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