At our next concert (March 11, 2012):
Nina Sheldon Trio with Otto Gardner and Peter O'Brien

"Nina Sheldon plays like a demon and sings like a living doll." The New Yorker

After a detour into the medical arts, Nina has returned to active performing. She and her rhythm section performed to a packed house at NYC’s Kitano in August, as they did at Smalls last October.  They’ve been invited back to Smalls this coming September.

Her CD, “Harvest,” was named one of the top ten 2009 vocal jazz albums by Songbirds, a prestigious online vocal jazz newsletter, was listed among the top ten 2009 regional (Hudson Valley) CDs, and made jazz critic Owen Cordle’s top ten list as well.

“Harvest” features Ray Charles’ great tenor man, David ‘Fathead’ Newman, with John Menegon (Dewey Redman, ‘Fathead’ Newman) on bass and Bob Meyer (John Abercrombie) on drums. Quotes from reviews of “Harvest”:

 “. . . effortless scatting that seems to float out of her keyboard.  One is reminded of those golden times when the ladies June Christy, Anita O’Day and the just-passed Chris Connor seemed incapable of a cliched delivery.”  Andrew Velez, All About Jazz

“Thrilling, indeed.” Owen Cordle, Raleigh News & Observer

“She features her own piano playing as well here, and it’s a truly breathtaking conclusion to a grand CD.” Dan Singer, In Tune International

“Sheldon is truly someone to hear and admire.” Michael Steinman, Cadence

In June ‘09, Nina backed alto player and former Mingus sideman John Handy at the Healdsburg (CA) Jazz Festival, led a quartet at the ’08 Benicia Jazz Festival (CA), opened the ‘06 Russian River Jazz Festival, and will perform again at the Benicia Festival this July. Her quartet will perform at The Falcon (Marlboro) on July 8, and The Swingtime Jazz Society of Albany will present her trio in October.

Marian McPartland featured her on NPR’s “Piano Jazz” in ‘04, and this past March, on NPR’s “What Is a Jazz Singer?” Bobby McFerrin called her a singer with “attitude and authenticity.”  Lately, she’s led trios at NY State jazz havens Justin’s in Albany, the Stockade Inn in Schenectady, Jake and Luna’s in Woodstock with tenorman Ed Xiques (Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles) and regularly features outstanding horn players in duos at La Duchesse Anne in Mt. Tremper.

During the ‘70s and ‘80s, Nina led bands at the Newport Jazz Festival and the Kool Jazz Festival.  She powered the Village Gate’s house band for 4 years, opening for Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Art Blakey and Stan Getz. Credits include the Montauk Jazz Festival, Kansas City Jazz Festival, and Guadeloupe Jazz Festival with Clifford Jordan and Joe Chambers.  At the Blue Note in Paris, she led a quartet opposite bop innovator Kenny Clarke. 

She toured with Johnny Hartmann, has backed up Sonny Stitt, George Coleman, Jane Ira Bloom, Bobby Shew, Gerry Niewood and Nick Brignola, and led duos and trios at New York City’s Sweet Basil, Bradley’s, Knickerbocker and Zinno’s with sidemen Al Foster, Eddy Gomez, Cecil McBee, and Buster Williams.

Her album, ”Secret Places,” which featured Dave Liebman and Eddy Gomez, was named one of the top 20 jazz releases of 1987 by Dr. Herb Wong, president of Concord Records. John S. Wilson of the New York Times called her playing “brilliantly swinging” and remarked on her “strong presence as pianist, singer and writer of lyrics that are funny, outrageous and even wistful.”  “Brilliant application of lyrics to the bop tradition . . . a strong first album,” said Jazz Times.