Nico Widdowson

Nico Widdowson is a London-based jazz pianist whose sound bridges the virtuosic Harlem stride tradition of the 1920s with the adventurous spirit of contemporary free improvisation. A graduate of Leeds Conservatoire (First Class, 2018), Nico was soon recognized with support from BBC Radio 6, BBC Radio 2, Jazz FM and Worldwide FM, and invited to perform at top UK festivals such as We Out Here, Love Supreme, London Jazz, Manchester Jazz and Leeds Jazz Festival. In 2024, he won the prestigious Musicians’ Company Tina May Young Jazz Musician of the Year Award, sharing the stage with fellow finalists while debuting his original composition “Angela Scott” — a satirical portrait inspired by his South London landlord — and delivering a compelling rendition of Monk’s “Monk’s Dream” . Nico leads his own Nico Widdowson Trio, known for combining influences from New Orleans, blues, bop and the great stride masters such as Duke Ellington, Willie the Lion Smith, Fats Waller, and Art Tatum, into an energetic and modern trio sound.