Nils Kavanagh leads an energetic piano trio consisting of young players like himself who aim to explore new sounds and their own voice in this classic format.
Nils Kavanagh (piano), Sam Green (drums), and Marcus Baber (bass) have performed extensively together in Cardiff and throughout south Wales in both trio and larger ensemble settings as a rhythm section, swiftly resulting in a strong collective chemistry. The trio presents original music from all three members, but also provide innovative treatments of some of their most loved jazz standards and other music outside of the jazz idiom.
About Nils Kavanagh
Nils Kavanagh is a jazz pianist from County Sligo. Beginning piano lessons at age six, Nils was introduced to jazz music at sixteen through the Sligo Jazz Project festival and summer school. First learning from local pianists Kieran Quinn and Mark Murphy, he quickly developed a love for jazz music. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Nils studied under Scott Flanigan, a prolific Irish jazz pianist. He has performed with well-known Irish band Those Nervous Animals, and co-leads the group Saffron, with whom he has performed extensively across Ireland, their notable appearances including performances at Sligo Jazz Project and Limerick Jazz Festival.
On April 10th, 2022, Nils won the inaugural Young Irish Jazz Musician of the Year award at the live grand final, which took place in the Limerick University Concert Hall. The competition was jointly run by Improvised Music Company and Limerick Jazz Festival and adjudicated by Irish musicians of the highest calibre: Dr. Linley Hamilton, prolific jazz trumpeter, BBC broadcaster and lecturer; director of Galway Jazz Festival and RTE broadcaster Ellen Cranitch; and Bill Whelan, Grammy-winning composer, producer, and arranger.
Music education is also a passion of Nils’. He teaches privately and has given workshops in various education settings, such as Sligo Jazz Project’s internationally acclaimed summer school. Currently Nils is working as a professional musician in south Wales and throughout Ireland. He is studying Jazz Performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, tutored by world class pianists Huw Warren, Nick Weldon, and Elliot Galvin.
