| Mike Nock | |
|---|---|
|   Mike Nock in 2012 by Andrew Lorien | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 27 September 1940  Christchurch, New Zealand | 
| Genres | Jazz | 
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, arranger | 
| Instrument(s) | Piano, keyboards | 
| Website | mikenock.com | 
Michael Anthony Nock ONZM (born 27 September 1940) [1] is a New Zealand jazz pianist, who lives and works in Australia.
Nock was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, but spent his childhood in Ngāruawāhia. [1] [2] Nock began studying piano at 11. He attended Nelson College for one term in 1955. [3] By the age of 18, he was performing in Australia. [1] In Sydney he played in The Three Out trio with Freddy Logan and Chris Karan who toured England in 1961 before Nock left to attend Berklee College of Music. [1] He was a member of Yusef Lateef's group from 1963 to 1965. [1] [2]
In 1965-1966 Nock joined Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, replacing Keith Jarrett [4] .
During 1968–1970, Nock was involved with fusion, leading the Fourth Way band. [1] From 1975 to 1985 he was a studio musician in New York after which he returned to Australia. [1] [2]
In 1987 the Best Jazz Album in the New Zealand Music Awards was Nock's Open Door with drummer Frank Gibson, Jr. [2]
In the 2003 New Year Honours, Nock was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to jazz. [5] In 2024, he was entered into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame. [6]
He lives in New South Wales where he taught at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music until 2018 [7] and performs with his trio, big band, and various one-off ensembles.
| Title | Details | 
|---|---|
| Between or Beyond (as The Mike Nock Underground) | 
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| Almanac (with Almanac: Nock, Bennie Maupin, Cecil McBee, Eddie Marshall) | 
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| Magic Mansions | 
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| In, Out and Around (as Mike Nock Quartet) | 
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| The Opal Heart (David Liebman Quartet featuring Mike Nock) | 
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| Talisman / Solo | 
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| Climbing | 
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| Succubus | 
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| Piano Solos | 
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| Ondas | 
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| Strata | 
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| Strata | 
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| Open Door (with Frank Gibson, Jr.) | 
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| Beautiful Friendship (as Mike Nock Too) | 
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| Dark and Curious (as Mike Nock Quartet) | 
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| Touch | 
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| Temple (with Cameron Undy) | 
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| Not We But One (as Mike Nock Trio) | 
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| Ozboppin' (as Mike Nock Quintet) | 
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| The Waiting Game (with Marty Ehrlich) | 
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| Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven (as New York Jazz Collective with Marty Ehrlich, James Zollar, Ray Anderson, Mike Formanek & Pheeroan Aklaff) | 
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| Changing Seasons (with Brett Hirst & Toby Hall) | 
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| Live (as Mike Nock's Big Small Band) | 
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| Duologue (with Dave Liebman) | 
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| Meeting of the Waters (as The Mike Nock Project) | 
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| Andrew Klippel Compositions 1980-1983 (as Mike Nock Trio) | 
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| An Accumulation of Subtleties (as Mike Nock Trio) | 
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| Transformations (with Colin Hemmingsen & Nick Tipping) | 
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| Hear and Know (as Mike Nock Trio) | 
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| Sketches | 
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| Kindred (with Laurence Pike) | 
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| Opal Dream (with Howie Smith) | 
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| Suite SIMA (as Mike Nock Octet) | 
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| Two Out (with Roger Manins) | 
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| The Monash Sessions (with Tony Gould) | 
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| Beginning and End of Knowing (with Laurence Pike) | 
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| Vicissitudes (as Mike Nock Trio with NZTrio) | 
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| This World (with Hamish Stuart, Julien Wilson & Jonathan Zwartz) | 
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| Another Dance (with Hamish Stuart, Julien Wilson & Jonathan Zwartz) | 
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| Hearing | 
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Noteworthy New Zealand musicians are inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Mike Nock | New Zealand Music Hall of Fame | inducted | [6] | 
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Hear and Now | Best Independent Jazz Album | Won | 
| 2015 [8] | Suite Sima | Best Independent Jazz Album | Nominated | 
| 2020 [9] [10] | This World | Best Independent Jazz Album or EP | Nominated | 
| 2024 [11] | Hearing | Best Independent Jazz Album or EP | Nominated | 
The ARIA Music Awards are annual awards, which recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Dark & Curious | Best Jazz Album | Nominated | [12] | 
| 1994 | Touch | Best Jazz Album | Nominated | |
| 2000 | The Waiting Game (with Marty Ehrlich) | Best Jazz Album | Nominated | |
| 2004 | Big Small Band Live | Best Jazz Album | Nominated | |
| 2007 | Duologue (with Dave Liebman) | Best Jazz Album | Won | |
| 2008 | Meeting Of The Waters | Best Jazz Album | Nominated | |
| 2020 [13] | This World (with Hamish Stuart, Julien Wilson & Jonathan Zwartz) | Best Jazz Album | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Another Dance (with Hamish Stuart, Julien Wilson & Jonathan Zwartz ) | Best Jazz Album | Nominated | [14] | 
| 2023 | Hearing | Best Jazz Album | Nominated | [15] | 
The Australian Jazz Bell Awards, (also known as the Bell Awards or The Bells), are annual music awards for the jazz music genre in Australia. They commenced in 2003. [16]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result(wins only) | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Big Small Band Live – Mike Nock | Best Australian Contemporary Jazz Album | Won | 
| 2009 | Mike Nock | Hall of Fame | inducted | 
| 2011 | An Accumulation of Subtleties – Mike Nock Trio | Best Australian Contemporary Jazz Album | Won | 
| 2015 | Suite Sima – Mike Nock Octet | Best Australian Jazz Ensemble | Won | 
| 2016 | Beginning and End of Knowing – Mike Nock & Laurence Pike | Best Produced Album | Won | 
The Don Banks Music Award was established in 1984 to publicly honour a senior artist of high distinction who has made an outstanding and sustained contribution to music in Australia. [17] It was founded by the Australia Council in honour of Don Banks, Australian composer, performer and the first chair of its music board.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Mike Nock | Don Banks Music Award | awarded | 
The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. [18]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Mike Nock Quartet | Jazz Group of the Year | Won | 
The Music Victoria Awards are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2006.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Monash Sessions (with Tony Gould) | Best Jazz Album | Nominated | [19] [20] |