Nick Malcolm is an original, heart-felt improviser. his rich, warm sound and sense of improvisational daring inform each and every musical situation and he plays with a total commitment to the music in the moment, whatever the stylistic context.
Until 2015 he led the Nick Malcolm Quartet, featuring pianist Alexander Hawkins, bassist Olie Brice and drummer Ric Yarborough. The group played original compositions combining the rhythmic and harmonic complexities of contemporary jazz with the intensity and interaction of free improvisation. They released two albums; ‘Glimmers’ (2012) on FMR records and 'Beyond These Voices' (2014) on Nick's own Green Eyes label. The albums received excellent reviews, with Richard Williams calling the group 'a highly evolved mechanism in which four voices create a sense of perfect integration'. Most recently they had a live gig broadcast on BBC Radio 3's flagship program 'Jazz on 3' and appeared at the EFG London Jazz Festival 2014. He recorded his third album with this band, 'Real Isn't Real', with the addition of a second quartet of female vocalists over 2015, 16 and 17. Nick gratefully acknowledges support from PRS Foundation towards the making of this album. After some time out for health reasons, Nick formed the group jade, a band that deconstructed through sampling and improvisation original compositions influenced by JDilla, the AACM, Burial, and English Church music. They toured England in February and March 2019 in support of the release of 'Real Isn't Real', with support from Arts Council England. For a number of years Nick also co-led the improvising trio 'Alphabets' with cellist Hannah Marshall and vocalist Lauren Kinsella and in November 2020 released ‘Chat’, an album of improvised duets with long time friend and collaborator, vibraphonist Corey Mwamba.
He currently leads the group Out Front, playing music by and influenced by jazz greats Booker Little and Andrew Hill, featuring saxophonists Jason Yarde and Jake McMurchie, bassist OIie Brice and drummer Dave Smith. They will be releasing their first album of origianl music in early 2025
He is a member George Cooper’s Jazz Defenders, Dee Byrne’s Outlines and Rebecca Nash's Redefining Element 78 project (with Saxophonist John O’Gallagher). As a sideman he was a founder member of Eliza Carthy's 'Wayward Daughter' as well as of vocalist Emily Wright’s ‘Moonlight Saving Time’. He has also performed works by contemporary classical composers Ianncu Dumitrescu and Richard Barrett, directed by the composers and broadcast on BBC radio 3. He works and has worked with musicians like Roger Turner, Gail Brand, Paul Dunmall, Mark Sanders, Tim Hill, Iain Ballamy, Alex Merritt, Sara Colman, Jason Rebello, Tom Hewsom, George Crowley, Dominic Lash, Laura Jurd, Simon Roth, Guillaume Viltard, Shabaka Hutchings, Josienne Clarke, Jim Moray and UK soul artist Pete Josef. In demand as a session musician, he has appeared on releases by Hannah Williams and the Affirmations, Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker, Maz O’Connor, Clay, Sailing Stones, Pete Josef and The Heavy. In 2014 he was chosen to take part in Take Five Edition IX, a professional development scheme for emerging creative jazz musicians run by Serious.
He has studied with Ambrose Akinmusire, Chris Batchelor, Dave Wickins and Ralph Alessi and teaches jazz trumpet privately and at Wells Cathedral School.