Clovis Nicolas

Member since 2026

French-American bassist and composer Clovis Nicolas moved to New York in the new millennium and studied at The Juilliard School from 2009 to 2012 under bass legend Ron Carter and composer Kendall Durelle Briggs.

As a sideman, Nicolas has performed or recorded with many of today's leading musicians, including Herbie Hancock, Peter Bernstein, Sullivan Fortner, Marcus Gilmore, and Brad Mehldau. He appears on more than forty critically acclaimed recordings, among them Belmondo's Hymne au Soleil—winner of three Victories de la Musique awards in France—and Samora Pinderhughes's interdisciplinary projects The Transformations Suite and Grief: The Healing Project.

Nicolas has released four albums as a leader on Sunnyside Records, featuring primarily his original compositions: Nine Stories, named one of DownBeat Magazine's Best Albums of the Year in 2014; Freedom Suite Ensuite (2018); Autoportrait (2021), a solo bass album that earned a five-star review in Le Monde; and The Contrapuntist (2023), his first recorded exploration of classical music. Awarded Classica Magazine’s highest distinction, the album features his string quartet Le Miroir, performed by the Ulysses Quartet.

Nicolas's compositions have continued to gain recognition in the contemporary classical world, including a performance by the Dior Quartet at the Mostly Modern Festival in the Netherlands in 2024.

As a composer, Clovis draws from the rich traditions of 20th-century music, incorporating influences from classical figures such as Debussy and Bartók, as well as jazz masters like Thelonious Monk. From this eclectic foundation, his work blends contrapuntal writing, lyrical melodies, and harmonic color into a distinctive and personal musical language.