Project Nascence

Project Nascence marks the beginning of my artistic and creative journey—an exploration of sound, identity, and expression.

Comprising eight tracks recorded between March 2022 and March 2024, this project is a deeply personal attempt to break free from academic, musical, and social stereotypes that have shaped me.

The album addresses critical themes, including feminicide, as explored in Fanatismeni den ime / No Es Que Quiera Obsesionarme—a poem by Pilar Rodríguez Aranda, translated by Elena Stagkouraki. It also reflects on the stages of grief, with a piece dedicated to the victims of the train accident in Greece (February 2023), among other narratives.

Project Nascence is divided into two distinct parts:

The first part is a solo section, performed by me using saxophone, electronics, vinyls, and other elements.
The second part features recordings with my band, bringing a collective dimension to the project’s themes.

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BIO

Nicky was born in 1996 in Athens, Greece. She is an active member of the Greek jazz and free improvisation music scene, developing her own solo projects while also participating in various music ensembles. Nicky has toured extensively across Europe, performing on major stages such as Fylkingen in Stockholm and Café OTO in London. She has also appeared at numerous international music festivals, including Jazz Goes to Town (Czech Republic), Aarhus Jazz Festival (Denmark), Irtijal Festival (Lebanon), Jazz Hochburg (Austria) etc.

She has collaborated with the London Improvisers Orchestra and renowned musicians such as Sofia Jernberg, Maggie Nicols, Lisa Ullén, Christer Bothén, Martin Küchen, Bram De Looze, and Sharif Sehnaoui, among others.

Nicky is also a member of the Swedish-Greek band Ahanes, which released its debut album, Petrichor, in 2022 under Clean Feed, a Portuguese record label recognized as one of the most important in the world. The album was selected among the label’s best releases by the prestigious New York City Jazz Record magazine.

Her vision is to create a unique musical sound inspired by her diverse influences while using her music as a medium to question contemporary political and social issues.

She is a graduand with an Integrated Master from the Ionian University of Greece specialized in Jazz saxophone. In parallel to her academic knowledge of Jazz, Nicky explores the limits of the saxophone while playing with contrasts, using melodies and vocabulary from Jazz, Improvised Music, Traditional Music of Greece and the Middle East.

Her vision is to be able to create her own unique music sound based on all musical influences that inspire her, and through her music, to question current political and social issues.

Η Νίκη Κοκκόλη, γεννημένη το 1996 στην Αθήνα, είναι σαξοφωνίστρια που δραστηριοποιείται ενεργά στη jazz και την αυτοσχεδιαστική μουσική. Είναι μέλος του ελληνοσουηδικού συγκροτήματος Ahanes, το οποίο κυκλοφόρησε την πρώτη του δισκογραφική δουλειά, Petrichor, από τη θρυλική δισκογραφική εταιρεία Clean Feed, η οποία έχει εκδώσει δίσκους καλλιτεχνών όπως οι Pharaoh Sanders, Anthony Braxton, Craig Taborn και Evan Parker.

Ταξιδεύει σε όλη την Ευρώπη, δίνοντας συναυλίες σε μεγάλες σκηνές, όπως το Fylkingen στη Στοκχόλμη και το Café OTO στο Λονδίνο. Έχει συνεργαστεί με το London Improvisers Orchestra καθώς και με σπουδαίους μουσικούς, όπως οι Sofia Jernberg, Maggie Nicols, Lisa Ullén, Christer Bothén, Martin Küchen, Bram De Looze και Sharif Sehnaoui, μεταξύ άλλων. Παράλληλα, έχει εμφανιστεί σε διεθνή φεστιβάλ, όπως το Aarhus Jazz Festival (Δανία), το Jazz Goes to Town (Τσεχία), το Irtijal Festival (Λίβανος) και το Jazz Hochburg (Αυστρία).

Στόχος της είναι να διαμορφώσει τον δικό της μουσικό ήχο, αντλώντας έμπνευση από τις μουσικές της επιρροές, αλλά και από τις κοινωνικές και πολιτικές συνθήκες της εποχής.

Αυτή την περίοδο ασχολείται με το προσωπικό της solo project για σαξόφωνο και ηλεκτρονικά, ενώ πρόσφατα κυκλοφόρησε το ατομικό της έργο Project Nascence.

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