Nick Katzman

Last updated
Nick Katzman
Born1951 (age 71–72)
New York, United States
Genres Blues
Instrument(s) Vocals, guitar, lute
Years active1960s–present

Nick Katzman (born 1951) is an American blues musician. Katzman was born in New York City, and lives in both Manhattan and Berlin, Germany. He plays in a variety of musical genres, including Chicago blues, Mississippi blues, Texas blues, and ragtime.

Contents

Biography

As a teenager in the 1960s, Katzman saw many of the surviving country blues guitarists who travelled north to play their music in clubs and at the folk festivals. He learned to lay both guitar and lute. He studied classical music and jazz at Antioch College in Ohio. His classical influences include Sylvius Leopold Weiss and Johann Sebastian Bach. [1]

His blues music was inspired by a number of musicians, including Charlie Patton, Kid Bailey, and Mississippi John Hurt. [1] On his own website, Katzman also cites amongst his teachers the blues masters Mance Lipscomb, Reverend Gary Davis, Stefan Grossman and Rory Block. [2]

About 40 years ago, Katzman moved to Germany to live, tour and perform. [1]

His music

Katzman discussed his musical influences as a mix of various strains of the blues, including Delta blues, country blues, folk music and hokum ragtime. [3] His music has been described as a "wide range of blues from Delta to Gary Davis." [4] Katzman's music has been compared to Tom Ball and Rich Stein. [5] He has also been compared favorably with his blues forebears Blind Blake and The Rev. Gary Davis. [6]

Katzman has collaborated with a number of senior Blues musicians, including Champion Jack Dupree, Carey and Lurie Bell, Louisiana Red, and Guitar Crusher. [2]

Katzman also has mentored a number of younger musicians, including Thomasina Winslow. [7] [8] He continues to learn to play new instruments, including the lute. [4] [9]

In the United States, Katzman often plays at The Good Coffee House at the Ethical Culture Society meeting house in Brooklyn, New York, New York. [4] [10] He has been based (and currently as of 2007) in Germany. [4] In May and June 2007, Katzman toured Europe with Winslow, including a headlining appearance at the Stamford, England at the Stamford Arts Centre. [11] [6] [12] He returned to the Good Coffee House in April 2008, [13] with "special guests Paul Handelman on harp and Thomasina Winslow on guitar and vocals." [14]

Discography

Solo, acoustic

Solo, electric

Producer and compilations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Van Ronk</span> American folk musician

David Kenneth Ritz Van Ronk was an American folk singer. An important figure in the American folk music revival and New York City's Greenwich Village scene in the 1960s, he was nicknamed the "Mayor of MacDougal Street".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kicking Mule Records</span> Defunct American record label

Kicking Mule Records was an American independent record label, founded in Berkeley, California in 1971 by guitarist Stefan Grossman and Eugene "ED" Denson, formerly co-owner of Takoma Records. The company's name comes from the country blues sexual two-timing allegory "there's another mule kicking in your stall".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reverend Gary Davis</span> American singer

Reverend Gary Davis, also Blind Gary Davis, was a blues and gospel singer who was also proficient on the banjo, guitar and harmonica. Born in Laurens, South Carolina and blind since infancy, Davis first performed professionally in the Piedmont blues scene of Durham, North Carolina in the 1930s, then converted to Christianity and became a minister. After moving to New York in the 1940s, Davis experienced a career rebirth as part of the American folk music revival that peaked during the 1960s. Davis' most notable recordings include "Samson and Delilah" and "Death Don't Have No Mercy".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Rose (guitarist)</span> American guitarist

Jack Rose was an American guitarist originally from Virginia and later based in Philadelphia. Rose is best known for his solo acoustic guitar work. He was also a member of the noise/drone band Pelt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stefan Grossman</span> Musical artist

Stefan Grossman is an American acoustic fingerstyle guitarist and singer, music producer and educator, and co-founder of Kicking Mule records. He is known for his instructional videos and Vestapol line of videos and DVDs.

Del Rey is an American blues singer and guitarist. Rey specializes in blues and jazz from 1900 to 1950. She developed a Women in American Music concert/lecture series to provide an historical and cultural look at the contribution of women to music in the early 20th century. She is recognized for her syncopated style of guitar and intricate finger picking.

Richard Royall "Duck" Baker IV is an American acoustic fingerstyle guitarist who plays in a variety of styles: jazz, blues, gospel, ragtime, folk, and Irish and Scottish music. He has written many instruction books for guitar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Kalb</span> American blues guitarist (1942–2022)

Daniel Ira Kalb was an American blues guitarist and vocalist. He was an original member of the 1960s group the Blues Project.

Thomasina Winslow was an American blues musician from the Albany, New York, area, and the daughter of folk musician Tom Winslow. As a toddler, she sang back-up on her father's folk music classic Hey Looka Yonder ; also singing a solo version of One-Two-Three, another version of which she produced on her own 30 years later. In addition to her solo career, Winslow has been a member of four bands, including a duo with Nick Katzman and Nite Train. Furthermore, she has been a teacher in that genre of music, and has significantly influenced other aspiring musicians. Winslow primarily performed covers of Blues standards and has written a number of blues and gospel tunes in her own right. She was also one of a handful of African-American women producers in the "indy" music industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Winslow</span> Musical artist

Thomas Griffin Winslow was an American folk singer and writer known as a "disciple" of Reverend Gary Davis and a former member of Pete Seeger's band. He performed with his family as The Winslows and recorded with Al Polito. His career as a performing artist lasted over forty years. He was most notable as the composer of "Hey Looka Yonder ", a folk song that has been the anthem of the Sloop Clearwater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John James (guitarist)</span> Welsh fingerstyle guitarist and songwriter (born 1947)

John James is known, primarily, as a solo acoustic fingerstyle guitarist, composer and entertainer. His popular appeal is attributed to his ability to entertain with musicianship and humour, a blend of presentation and performance that has brought the art of the fingerstyle guitar, from the dedicated guitar fans to the appeal of a wider audience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Book Binder</span> American singer-songwriter

Roy Book Binder is an American blues guitarist, singer-songwriter and storyteller. A student and friend of the Rev. Gary Davis, he is equally at home with blues and ragtime. He is known to shift from open tunings to slide arrangements to original compositions, with both traditional and self-styled licks. His storytelling is another characteristic that makes his style unique.

Kid Bailey was a Mississippi Delta bluesman. His one known recording session occurred on September 25, 1929, in Memphis, Tennessee.

Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton is an American musician from Los Angeles. A vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Paxton's style draws from blues and jazz music before World War II and was influenced by Fats Waller and "Blind" Lemon Jefferson. According to Will Friedwald in The Wall Street Journal, Paxton is "virtually the only music-maker of his generation — playing guitar, banjo, piano and violin, among other implements — to fully assimilate the blues idiom of the 1920s and '30s, the blues of Bessie Smith and Lonnie Johnson."

William Augusta Trice was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He released two singles and an album. He remained loyal to his native North Carolina and its regional blues style, often referred to as Piedmont blues, East Coast blues, or more generally country blues.

Richard Trice was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He released two singles. He lived most of his life in his native North Carolina and played in its regional blues style, often referred to as Piedmont blues, East Coast blues, or more generally country blues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stefan Grossman discography</span>

Stefan Grossman is an American acoustic fingerstyle guitarist and singer. His discography consists of 22 studio albums, 2 live albums, 12 compilations, 22 videos, and 14 collaborations with other artists. In addition, his production, compositions and guitar work have been featured on a number of albums by other artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valerie Turner</span> American Blues guitarist-vocalist

Valerie Turner is an American blues guitarist, vocalist, educator, and author. She plays in the Piedmont style of fingerpicking guitar, continuing in the traditions of Mississippi John Hurt, Elizabeth Cotten, Memphis Minnie, and Etta Baker. She performs blues, ballads, country, popular songs, ragtime, and gospels. She is a native New Yorker with southern roots in Virginia and Georgia. She started learning and studying traditional country blues guitar in 1978. Valerie and her spouse, Benedict Turner, are an acoustic blues duo called Piedmont Blūz. They specialize in Piedmont blues music, but also perform music from the Delta blues tradition. Benedict and Valerie are ambassadors of historic blues music, and educate their audiences about this early tradition and its artists.

The Guitar & Banjo of Reverend Gary Davis is an album by blues musician Reverend Gary Davis recorded in 1964 and released on the Prestige Folklore label.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Wandrowsky, Alexander (1994). "Nick Katzman - Blues & More: Interview". Alles Uke German website. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "About Nick Katzman". Blueskatz.com. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  3. ↑ "Nick Katzman acoustic". Blueskatz.com. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Archived September 29, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  5. 1 2 "AOL - News, Sports, Weather, Entertainment, Local & Lifestyle". Music.aol.com. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  6. 1 2 "Nick Katzman Tour Dates & Tickets". Ents24.com. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  7. ↑ "Top level acoustic blues artist". Thomasina Winslow. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  8. ↑ Archived February 28, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ "Nick Katzman - Interview". Alles-uke.de. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  10. ↑ "Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture". Bsec.org. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  11. ↑ "Theatre | Cinema | Children's Activities | What's On Lincolnshire UK". Stamford Arts Centre. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  12. ↑ "Top level acoustic blues artist - Performance Dates". Thomasina Winslow. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  13. ↑ Michael Kornfeld (2008-03-27). "Long Island AcoustiCalendar for April Through Mid-May 2008". AcousticMusicScene.com. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  14. ↑ "Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture". Bsec.org. Archived from the original on 2008-05-03. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  15. ↑ "Nick Katzman - News, Photos, Videos, Bio. Free music downloads at". Mp3.com. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  16. 1 2 Stefan Wirz. "A list of LPs issued by Kicking Mule Records". Wirz.de. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  17. ↑ "AOL - News, Sports, Weather, Entertainment, Local & Lifestyle". Music.aol.com. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  18. ↑ Archived January 3, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  19. ↑ "Download Guitarist / Composer Sampler by Various Artists - Fantasy / Kicking Mule". eMusic. 2001-05-10. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  20. ↑ "Nick Katzman @ARTISTdirect". Artistdirect.com. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.