A lifelong West Coaster, Nick was born in San Diego, raised in Los Angeles, and has spent the past 30 years in San Francisco. He studied with Calvin Keys and performed in a variety of jazz-based Bay Area ensembles. Over the past 10+ years he has led a number of his own combos, specializing in classic jazz inspired by his heroes.

As a musician who believes strongly in actively engaging with the history of the music, Nick has been involved in numerous projects over the years which have tapped into his talents as a writer, historian, and researcher. He was written for magazines such as The Fretboard Journal and Acoustic Guitar as well as record labels such as Resonance, Ace, and RPM. More recently, Nick has participated in a sprawling retrospective of Benny Goodman’s earliest big band legacy, which includes a mini-survey of jazz guitar through the 1930s.