"Some really serious stuff going on in this music!" Gilles Peterson
"It really fills my heart to bring such great music to your ears here on JazzFM from this gifted pianist!" Tony Minvielle - JazzFM
"Genre-bending keys wizard." Jazzwise
Nicola Guida, an Italian-born pianist, composer, and producer based in London, is recognized as one of the most inspired jazz artists of his generation. A multi-award-winning musician, Guida is celebrated for his deconstructive approach to the piano, seamlessly blending Jazz, Cinematica, AltR&B, and abstract Hip-Hop, underpinned by his masterful use of sampling.
After relocating to the UK in 2020, Guida quickly became a prominent figure in London's underground music scene. He has performed alongside esteemed artists such as Goldlink, Illa J, Khari Lucas (aka Contour), Brownswood’s Secret Night Gang, Bel Cobain, Ruby Francis, Lynda Dawn, Samwise, Ash Walker, Tom Ford, Oscar Jerome, Hayla, Jay Walk and the Cadillacs, Jay Phelps, Theon Cross, Daniel Casimir, Myles Sanko, Byron Wallen, Sophie Faith, Myele Manzanza, Amyra, Miller Blue, Jackson Mathod, Louis VI, Desta French, Jitwam, Elle Shimada, Tom Scott & Avantdale Bowling Club. His talent has graced the stages of major festivals and venues, including Cross The Tracks, Love Supreme, Primavera in Barçelona, North Sea Jazz in Rotterdam, Ricci Weekender in Catania, Mladí Ladí Jazz in Prague, Electrik 神社 in Tokyo, Post-húsið and Iðnó in Reykjavík, Jassmine in Warsaw, Barbican, Edinburgh Jazz Festival, London Jazz Festival, Brick Lane Jazz Festival, BBC Maida Vale sessions, BIKO in Milan, Oma Doris in Dortmund, and Summertime 2024 New Waves at Casa del Jazz in Rome. Guida is also the co-founder of Patterns collective, which hosts a night of entirely improvised music at NT's Loft, with a monthly residency at legendary Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club for the Late Late Show.
Speleology, his critically acclaimed album (released via New York based label Inner Circle Music, with the featuring of sax legend Greg Osby, MC Karnival Kid and MeltingPot producer Koralle) received extensive support from Gilles Peterson (top 100 best albums of 2021), Tony Minvielle (top 21 best albums of 2021), WorldwideFM, JazzFm, Soho Radio, Bandcamp Weekly, Music Is My Sanctuary, Jazz Revelation, Vibe Rating, Somewhere Soul, Jazzit, Jazz re:freshed, Radio Nova, Gri Gri, DLSO, RadioRai2, Tokyo Jazz Site, il Manifesto, Corriere della Sera, Zero, Nafi and Spotify, as well as enthusiastic feedback by legends such as Kevin Beadle, China Moses and DJ Kenzhero (KayaFM - Johannesburg).
Come Inside, one of the single lifted from Speleology, is a laid back exploration of jazz and hip-hop features MC Karnival Kid whose nonchalant yet powerful delivery flows beautifully over Guida's delicate playing, melts the notes of his piano into a seamless harmonic stream. The pianist also cleverly uses a sample from legendary Italian composer Piero Piccioni (A Starless Night from Il Dio Sotto La Pelle soundtrack from 1974) to provide the melodic line throughout, with additional production adding layers of sonic richness.
The track received both public and critical acclaim from all across the board with support from UK, USA, Italy, France, Portugal, Switzerland, Netherlands, Czechia, South Africa and it was added to 'State of Jazz' & 'Fresh Finds' Spotify editorial playlists, clocking over 70k streams in over 2 months.
His impact on the jazz community was cemented in 2022 when he sold out his first headline show at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, preceded by a sold-out release party at Bow Bunker in collaboration with Unit31. He headlined Jazz Re:freshed, and performed at We Out Here, and was invited as a special guest at the 100-year anniversary of legendary Italian composer Piero Piccioni at Forum Studios in Rome. In April 2022, Guida toured with Secret Night Gang, supporting Khruangbin on their European tour, where he played in iconic venues such as L'Olympia in Paris and Alexandra Palace in London. In June 2023, he performed an exclusive piano solo concert for YAMAHA Music London. In February 2024, he served as the Musical Director for Bel Cobain's Radical Forgiveness UK Tour. In the spring 2024, Guida also headlined a unique concert at Oma Doris in Dortmund, Germany, which featured cutting-edge technology, with a specialized team from the University of Cologne on-site to record the event for viewing in augmented reality. In the summer of 2024, he toured Italy, Iceland, and England with his trio, featuring American songwriter and producer Khari Lucas aka Contour as a special guest.
Nicola Guida has received several prestigious accolades, including the 2022 Peter Whittingham Jazz Award (London, UK), the 2019 Jazzfruit International Award (Prague, CZ), and the 2015 Best Soloist Award at Fara Jazz (Fara, ITA). In 2018, he was recognised by the Italian Ministry of Culture and Italian Jazz Musicians Association as one of the 20 most promising rising jazz artists in the country, earning a month-long artist residency AIR (Artist-in-Residence) program at the Italian Institute of Culture in Tokyo.