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Phony Flowers 3:330:00/3:33
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Buzz & Bloom 4:170:00/4:17
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0:00/3:05
“Jazzy and engaging without sacrificing a shred of pop sensibility”
“Technically formidable and immensely communicative, her performances grab you by the ear and refuse to let you go. ”
— Raul de Gama, Jazz Sensibilities
BIO
PRESS LINKS
Singer/songwriter/multi instrumentalist Nicole Saphos’ musical identity can be categorized somewhere between jazz and indie rock. Upon graduating from Temple University in 2012 with a Jazz Performance degree, the Los Angeles native relocated to DC, and began her professional music career in earnest. To date, she’s released two critically acclaimed albums, Tiptoe [2016] and Buzz & Bloom [2018], and has performed at venerated venues such as The Kennedy Center, Rockwood Music Hall, and The Smithsonian American Art Museum, among others. Additionally, Nicole was the first songwriter to attend the open studio residency at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine, and has won several grant awards for her songwriting and performance, including 2018 & 2020 Artist & Scholars grants from the Montgomery County Arts Council, and a 2020 Regional Independent Artist Award from the Maryland State Arts Council.
Her latest musical endeavor — the twelve-track live album Takoma Sessions — was recorded in Takoma Park, MD over the course of three in-studio concerts in the Fall of 2019, and will be released on June 12th alongside a short film highlighting the concert series and recording process. With a stylistic nod to artists like Dirty Projectors and Aimee Mann, Takoma Sessions delivers a sequence of groove-heavy, pop-friendly originals, complimented by bold vocal harmonies.
Washington Post: "On ‘Buzz & Bloom,’ Nicole Saphos knows her jazz, back to front, top to bottom"
Capitalbop: "Nicole Saphos brings in new voices - and refines her own - on Takoma Sessions"
Michael Doherty's Music Log: Buzz and Bloom album review
Temple News: Jazz bassists creates "Indie Jazz" fusion
Washington City Paper: "There's a New Bassist in Town"
All About Jazz: Tiptoe review
Jazz Weekly: Hip Voices
All About Vocals: Tiptoe review
Blogcritics: Tiptoe review