Nicola Farnon Trio

• Nicola Farnon - Vocals and Double Bass
• Phil Johnson - Drums
• David Newton - piano

Nicola Farnon Trio

“She’s a remarkable performer on stage, a fine singer and an outstandingly swinging and propulsive bass player with an outgoing personality to match...I declare that she is a class act who should be on every jazz festival in the land….A sure fire hit!”
Humphrey Lyttleton

"The Nicola Farnon Trio combine first class musicianship with a genuine enthusiasm for being on stage at a prestigious jazz festival. Time and again Farnon’s bass playing swung, her winning vocals a delight"
Scarborough Jazz Festival

Nicola Farnon - vocals and double bass

Widely recognised as one of the classiest Jazz and Swing-singers and/or double bassists in the UK, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Nicola Farnon has a remarkable musical pedigree, both parents being professional classical musicians and her great uncle no less than the late Robert Farnon. Originally raised classically on the cello and the piano, Nicola started singing and playing double bass in her twenties which led to a jazz career spanning 30 years. A regular on the jazz circuit of top venues and festivals (including Glastonbury), Farnon has also completed four Rural Tours; toured Ukraine as guest jazz artist; become a regular on BBC Radio 3's Jazz Requests and featured with her quartet on their Jazz Line Up show. live appearances. Nicola has played and recorded with such jazz luminaries as Dave Newton, Digby Fairweather, Jim Mullen, Bruce Adams and Alan Barnes and alongside class jazz acts as diverse as Eliane Elias, Courtney Pine, Georgie Fame, Tony Kofi, Michael Garrick Jazz Britannia Orchestra, Sir John Dankworth and Dame Cleo Laine. On stage Nicola is a class act with a passionate and swinging style, outstanding personality and a charismatic stage presence to match – with an uncanny ability to adapt her performance to captivate and embrace any audience.

With Nicola's trio you get a lot of musical talent that manages to pack a mighty punch for a seemingly small outfit. Farnon manages to combine her exceptional talents of singing and playing bass whilst leading a trio brimming with versatility and integrity. They play an eclectic mixture of popular standards (and a few of Nicola's own very catchy originals); classy arrangements with a mixture of swing, latin - and the moving, heart rending ballads that people never tire of. They all aim to enjoy themselves fully with a delightfully original and very inclusively warm (and often witty!) performance.

Phil Johnson - drums

Phil began honing his drumming skills in The Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra. He has since backed many jazz artists including David Newton, Jim Mullen,Bobby Shew, Alan Barnes, John Etheridge and Barbara Thompson. Phil is also a much in demand big band player with an impressive gig back catalogue that includes The Squadronnaires, The Memphis Belle Swing Orchestra, The Nelson Riddle Orchestra UK and The Kings of Swing Orchestra.

David Newton - Piano

Dave Newton is one of the UK's best known and respected jazz musicians. A perennial favourite at festivals and amongst audiences in the UK, in 2019 he won the British Jazz Award for Piano for the 16th time.