James P. Nichols
Encyclopedia
James P. Nichols is recognized as an expert in the recording industry having served as executive producer and master engineer.
His involvement in the recording industry began in 1973 when after studying recording at The New School For Social Research, he obtained an Assistant Engineer position at A1 Studios in New York
, where he worked for two years under Herb Abramson
, one of the founders of Atlantic Records
. He then moved on in 1975, to Sound Mixers, which was primarily a jingle studio recording Burger King and Volkswagen 30 second spots in the day and dance records at night. He then worked for Electric Lady Studios
where most notably he assisted, engineered, and performed with The Clash
on the “Sandinista!
” album. He is credited under the alias "J. P. Nicholson".
He continued his education enrolling at New York Technical College studying Electronics for Communications, Prototype Fabrications and Microprocessors. After graduation, he rekindled old associations in the industry and landed a job at A&R Studios home of Phil Ramone
in 1980. Encouraged to record, one of his “Weekend Album Projects” was the first Boogie Down Productions
LP on B-Boy Records
with Scott La Rock
and KRS-One
. The single “The Bridge Is Over
” remains par for Rap Hip-Hop’s historical course.
A&R Studios is also where he gained his first experiences in music/film engineering and lockup. In 1982 he went to work as a systems prototype fabricator with TimeLine Inc. headed by Jerry Block, formerly studio head for Sigma Sound Studios
in New York. There he built the first working prototype and proceeding first line of The Lynx Time Code Module, a staple device in studios worldwide.
Because of his experience with the Lynx, RCA
Recording Studios hired him in 1984. The studios, whose history was in Broadway cast recordings, wanted to become a presence in large-scale orchestra film scoring in New York. RCA Recording soon became the major scoring stage on the east coast and there he was promoted to Master Engineer which led to his working as Scoring Engineer, Recording Engineer, and Mastering Engineer for Jazz, Broadway, and Classical products. One of his pinnacle works with RCA/BMG
Studios was the recording, mixing, and mastering of the audio for the Motion Picture Malcolm X (film)
, by legendary film director Spike Lee
in 1992.
In 1996, after a previous three nominations, he won a Grammy Award
for “Best Historical Recording” of “The Jascha Heifetz
Collection”. Also in 1996 he moved on to Manhattan Center Studios, New York, as a Producer/Engineer. He completed several projects including “Ed Wood
” starring Johnny Depp and “The Butcher Boy
” featuring the music of critically acclaimed composer Elliot Goldenthal
, as well as The Pat McGuire Band for Inverin Records.
Again in 1997 he received a Producer Grammy nomination for the Broadway hit “Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk” for RCA Victor.
In 2000, he traveled the world creating live sound environments with the Nicholas Payton
Quintet and Big Band Orchestra. He also heads an organization founded by himself, entitled “Commercial Free Jazz” whose function as an institution is to support and provide a platform for experimentation in recording and helping artists worldwide realize the potential of their work.
In 2005, Mr Nichols began the next phase of his career by expanding the bounds of his sonic expertise as a Film Applications Engineer for Dolby Laboratories
.
In 2008, Mr Nichols became an off Broadway producer of the performance art piece "Madwoman: A Contemporary Opera
" written & performed by Mem Nahadr
.
Education
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where he worked for two years under Herb Abramson
Herb Abramson
Herbert C. Abramson was an American record company executive and producer.He was born in 1916 in Brooklyn, New York City and initially studied to be a dentist but he landed a job with National Records producing such performers as The Ravens, Billy Eckstine and Joe Turner...
, one of the founders of Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. He then moved on in 1975, to Sound Mixers, which was primarily a jingle studio recording Burger King and Volkswagen 30 second spots in the day and dance records at night. He then worked for Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios, at 52 West 8th Street, in New York City's Greenwich Village, is a recording studio originally built by Jimi Hendrix and designed by John Storyk in 1970...
where most notably he assisted, engineered, and performed with The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
on the “Sandinista!
Sandinista!
Sandinista! is the fourth studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was released on 12 December 1980 as a triple album containing 36 tracks, with 6 songs on each side...
” album. He is credited under the alias "J. P. Nicholson".
He continued his education enrolling at New York Technical College studying Electronics for Communications, Prototype Fabrications and Microprocessors. After graduation, he rekindled old associations in the industry and landed a job at A&R Studios home of Phil Ramone
Phil Ramone
Phil Ramone is a South-African violinist, composer, recording engineer, and record producer.-Biography:As a young child in South Africa, Ramone was a musical prodigy, beginning to play the violin at age three and performing for Queen Elizabeth II at age ten...
in 1980. Encouraged to record, one of his “Weekend Album Projects” was the first Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions was a hip hop group that was originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, months after the release of BDP's debut album, Criminal Minded. The name of the group, Boogie Down, derives from a nickname for the...
LP on B-Boy Records
B-Boy Records
B-Boy Records was an important independent hip hop record label formed by Jack Allen and Bill Kamarra in 1986, and situated at 132nd Street and Cypress Avenue in the Bronx, New York City. Its most notable signing was Boogie Down Productions...
with Scott La Rock
Scott La Rock
Scott "La Rock" Sterling was the original DJ of the hip hop group Boogie Down Productions.-BDP:Sterling, a social worker, met rapper KRS-One in 1986 at the Franklin Men's Shelter in the Bronx where KRS lived. The pair, together with DJ D-Nice, formed Boogie Down Productions...
and KRS-One
KRS-One
Lawrence Krisna Parker , better known by his stage names KRS-One , and Teacha, is an American rapper...
. The single “The Bridge Is Over
The Bridge Is Over
"The Bridge Is Over" is a 1987 song by Boogie Down Productions from their debut album Criminal Minded, performed by rapper KRS-One and produced by DJ Scott LaRock and KRS-One.-History:...
” remains par for Rap Hip-Hop’s historical course.
A&R Studios is also where he gained his first experiences in music/film engineering and lockup. In 1982 he went to work as a systems prototype fabricator with TimeLine Inc. headed by Jerry Block, formerly studio head for Sigma Sound Studios
Sigma Sound Studios
Sigma Sound Studios is an American music recording studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania founded by recording engineer Joseph Tarsia in 1968.Located at 212 N. 12th Street in Philadelphia, it was the second studio in the country to offer 24-track recording and the first in the country to use console...
in New York. There he built the first working prototype and proceeding first line of The Lynx Time Code Module, a staple device in studios worldwide.
Career
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
Recording Studios hired him in 1984. The studios, whose history was in Broadway cast recordings, wanted to become a presence in large-scale orchestra film scoring in New York. RCA Recording soon became the major scoring stage on the east coast and there he was promoted to Master Engineer which led to his working as Scoring Engineer, Recording Engineer, and Mastering Engineer for Jazz, Broadway, and Classical products. One of his pinnacle works with RCA/BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
Studios was the recording, mixing, and mastering of the audio for the Motion Picture Malcolm X (film)
Malcolm X (film)
Malcolm X is a 1992 biographical motion picture about the Muslim-American figure Malcolm X . It was co-written, co-produced, and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Denzel Washington as the titular character. It co-stars Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman, Jr., and Delroy Lindo...
, by legendary film director Spike Lee
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
in 1992.
In 1996, after a previous three nominations, he won a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for “Best Historical Recording” of “The Jascha Heifetz
Jascha Heifetz
Jascha Heifetz was a violinist, born in Vilnius, then Russian Empire, now Lithuania. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time.- Early life :...
Collection”. Also in 1996 he moved on to Manhattan Center Studios, New York, as a Producer/Engineer. He completed several projects including “Ed Wood
Ed Wood (film)
Ed Wood is a 1994 American comedy-drama biopic directed and produced by Tim Burton, and starring Johnny Depp as cult filmmaker Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film concerns the period in Wood's life when he made his best-known films as well as his relationship with actor Bela Lugosi, played by Martin Landau...
” starring Johnny Depp and “The Butcher Boy
The Butcher Boy
The Butcher Boy is a 1992 novel by Patrick McCabe. It was shortlisted for the 1992 Booker Prize and won the 1992 Irish Times Irish Literature Prize for Fiction.The Butcher Boy is set in a small town in Ireland in the late 1950s...
” featuring the music of critically acclaimed composer Elliot Goldenthal
Elliot Goldenthal
Elliot Goldenthal is an American composer of contemporary classical music. He was a student of Aaron Copland and John Corigliano, and is best known for his distinctive style and ability to blend various musical styles and techniques in original and inventive ways...
, as well as The Pat McGuire Band for Inverin Records.
In 2000, he traveled the world creating live sound environments with the Nicholas Payton
Nicholas Payton
Nicholas Payton is a jazz trumpet player from New Orleans, Louisiana.-Biography:The son of bassist and sousaphonist Walter Payton, he took up the trumpet at the age of four and by the time he was nine he was playing in the Young Tuxedo Brass Band alongside his father...
Quintet and Big Band Orchestra. He also heads an organization founded by himself, entitled “Commercial Free Jazz” whose function as an institution is to support and provide a platform for experimentation in recording and helping artists worldwide realize the potential of their work.
In 2005, Mr Nichols began the next phase of his career by expanding the bounds of his sonic expertise as a Film Applications Engineer for Dolby Laboratories
Dolby Laboratories
Dolby Laboratories, Inc. , often shortened to Dolby Labs, is an American company specializing in audio noise reduction and audio encoding/compression.-History:...
.
In 2008, Mr Nichols became an off Broadway producer of the performance art piece "Madwoman: A Contemporary Opera
Madwoman: A Contemporary Opera
Madwoman: A Contemporary Opera is an opera - performance art work created by the American performance artist Mem Nahadr . It depicts a series of compositions, "M-mination" from a deemed "Madwoman", in an interactive multimedia installation of space, UV light, 5.1 surround sound, items, images and...
" written & performed by Mem Nahadr
Mem Nahadr
Mem Nahadr , is a jazz vocalist best known for the performance of the song Butterfly, composed by Yoko Kanno and lyricized by Chris Mosdell for Cowboy Bebop...
.