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Mike Nock : Represented Artist

Music to me has always been a calling, and the opportunity to live a life in music brings with it both privilege and responsibility.

Random Audio Sample: Solstice : small jazz ensemble by Mike Nock, from the CD Kindred


Photo of Mike Nock

Artist website: http://www.mikenock.com

Born in Christchurch, New Zealand, September 27th, 1940, pianist/composer/educator Mike Nock played his first concert in 1951. His career since then has seen him perform and record with many of the world's top musicians in a wide range of contemporary musical styles. In the process he has become widely recognised as a leading jazz pianist/composer, initially through his seminal and influential Jazz-Rock group The Fourth Way, then later through his extensive catalogue of recordings and compositions.

Although best known as a jazz musician, his compositions encompass a broad range of instrumentation and style, including string trios/quartets, woodwind and percussion ensembles, large orchestral works, solo piano music, piano music for four hands, electronic scores and a large library of music for every size jazz group from solo pianist to big band.

His music has been commissioned, recorded and performed by a range of leading classical and jazz musicians and has appeared in several print editions.

In 2003, he was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to jazz, and in 1993, his life and music was the subject of a 60-minute TVNZ documentary. In 1983 he hosted his own TV series Nock On Jazz, and, while living in the USA (1961-1985), received three National Endowment Awards for composition. From 1999-2001 he held a two-year Australian Arts Council Fellowship and for six years was the music director for Naxos/Jazz, overseeing the production of more than 60 widely acclaimed CDs, from all corners of the world.

For more information on Mike Nock, visit www.mikenock.com


Biography provided by the composer — current to March 2009

Awards & Prizes

Year Award Placing Awarded for
2016 Art Music Awards: Work of the Year: Jazz Finalist Beginning and End of Knowing
2014 Don Banks Music Award Recipient

Selected Commissions

  Work Commission Details
Fictional realities : piano trio (2001) Commissioned for TRIOS-M for a regional tour of NSW in May 2011
Digital sheet music sample Time-lines : a piece in four movements for percussion ensemble and improvising soloist (optional) (1993) Commissioned by Tall Poppies Foundation for performance by Synergy Percussion.

Analysis & Media

Book: An overview of third stream music in Australia, focusing on the compositions of Judy Bailey and Mike Nock / Nadia Burgess.

Book: Serious fun : the life and music of Mike Nock / Norman Meehan.

Book: Just Like Us : aspects of New Zealand music / Robert Hoskins, Dugal McKinnon, Norman Meehan & Allan Thomas.

- Article: Piano genius masters the illusion of improvisation

- Article: Nock and Houstoun the perfect pairing

- Article: Trio boasts familiar faces