Nicole Rachelle is one of the
most dynamic, expressive, and hardest working musicians you'll ever
encounter. Whether pumping up pop music fans or
working with seasoned jazz heavyweights, Nicole adds subtlety and drama
with her distinctive saxophone and flute sounds.
"To me,
listening is fundamental. When you are truly listening to each of the
musicians sharing the stage with you, you can bring your own flavor
& personality without overriding or clashing. Musical maturity
involves knowing when to leave space and when to repeat a simple line
that grooves and locks with what the rest of your band is playing. Then
in those right spots where you can step forward and really rip it up,
people definitely take notice!" --Nicole Rachelle
Accomplishments
- Reached
the Top 20 in FOX TV's nationally-syndicated show "The Next Great
American Band". Nicole and the Fabulous Johnson Brothers
advanced through a field of literally thousands of applicants to reach
the Las Vegas round of the show, produced by the same franchise as
American Idol and America's Next Top Model. (with the Fabulous Johnson
Brothers, 2007)
- Awarded
the Silver Cup by Russ Freeman (the Rippingtons), and Michael Fagien
(Jazziz Magazine). This award included a $10,000 cash
award, several mentions in Jazziz Magazine, inclusion in their monthly
disk, and a $100,000 one-album contract to produce their third album,
"Contempo", on the Jazziz imprint in 2002. (with Urban Jazz Coalition,
2001)
- #2
on the Music Choice "Top 10" Digital Airplay Chart. (with
Urban Jazz Coalition, 2003)
- #53 on
the Gavin Smooth Jazz Radio Chart. (with Urban Jazz
Coalition, 2001)
- #42
on the Smoothjazz.com National Airplay Chart. (with Urban
Jazz Coalition, 2004)
- Featured
on the R&R Indicator Chart. (with Urban Jazz
Coalition, 2004)
- Listed
on the Jazz Week Chartbound Album List. (with Urban Jazz
Coalition, 2003)
- Airplay
on over 100 radio stations in 38 states and the UK,
including WWCD (Columbus), WSJZ (New Orleans), WJZV (Richmond),
WJZA/WJZK (Columbus), "Traditions & Trends" with Dianna Rose on
KWJZ (Seattle), & "The Jeff Charney Show" on KPRS (Kansas City).
- Featured
on the BET On Jazz Cable Network’s popular cooking show,
"The Midnight Gourmet", featuring Nick Tolbert; as well as on
nationally syndicated talk-radio, on "The Tom Pope Show".
"The energetic
performance of the winning Columbus band was clearly the audience
favorite. The funk-based music, and especially the wailing horn of Ben
Sherburne, reached for the gut. Playing alto sax on Honey Brown,
Sherburne screeched like David Sanborn; at other times he echoed Kenny
G." --Curtis Schieber for The Columbus Dispatch; Monday March
26, 2001
(Note: Nicole's early work is under her former name, Benjamin
Sherburne. Nicole completed her gender transition in 2006, changing her
name to Nicole Rachelle Sherburne.)
Experience
Nicole plays
regularly for Miles Davis alum Foley, and the Fabulous Johnson Brothers.
She has shared the stage with Urban Jazz Coalition, George Clinton,
Kendra Foster, Ricky Rouse, Hank Marr, and Tony Monaco.
She has opened for P-Funk, Kim Manning, Boney James, Larry Carlton, Al
Jarreau, Spyro Gyra, Paul Taylor, Chieli Minucci & Special EFX,
Rick Braun, Peter White, Russ Freeman and The Rippingtons, The Sax Pack
featuring Jeff Kashiwa, Norman Brown, Pieces Of A Dream, Bob Baldwin,
Roy Ayers, and Ken Navarro.
"When they did
'Birdland' it reminded us of Spyro Gyra, back in the old
days." --Jay Beckenstein & Tom Schuman, Spyro Gyra
Nicole began enjoying & performing music as a young child,
encouraged by her parents (both local Ohio musicians themselves). After
discovering the saxophone in 6th grade, Nicole began seriously studying
jazz, classical, rock, & funk music. As a high-school
sophomore,
she joined her school band director's professional working band, Apex.
While a sophomore studying jazz at Capital University (Columbus, OH),
Nicole joined Urban Jazz Coalition; helping to build the group over the
next ten years into a name recognized in LA, Toronto, London, and the
southern & midwestern US from Florida through
Indiana.
Nicole
currently plays for Foley, and the Fabulous Johnson
Brothers. Other recent projects include the World Famous Weedeaters, a
twist on classic hip-hop, and Hairplane!, a tongue-in-cheek lounge act
similar to Richard Cheese or Nouvelle Vague, with a Morphine flavor.
Discography
The Coalition - Different Angles
(1998)
(soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone; keyboards and sequencing; drum
programming)
The Grace
Project - The
Big Love (1998)
(tenor saxophone)
Urban Jazz
Coalition - Into
the Night... (2000)
(soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone; flute; clarinet; keyboards;
arrangements)
Urban Jazz
Coalition - Contempo
(2002)
(soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone; flute; keyboards and sequencing;
drum programming; arrangements)
Greggori
- Just Feelin' It
(2003)
(alto and tenor saxophone)
Urban Jazz
Coalition - Long
Street (2003)
(soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone; flute; keyboards; arrangements)
The Fabulous
Johnson Brothers - We
Come Together (2007)
(tenor saxophone)