Niki Kokkoli, born in Athens in 1996, is a musician whose primary means of expression is the saxophone, but she is not limited to that. She is actively involved in jazz and improvisational music. She is a member of the group "great for healing" and the Greek-Swedish sextet "Ahanes," whose first album was released by the legendary record label Clean Feed, known for releasing albums by Pharaoh Sanders, Anthony Braxton, Craig Taborn, Evan Parker, etc.
Niki regularly travels to Europe, giving numerous concerts at major venues such as Fylkingen in Stockholm, Cafe ‘Oto in London, etc. She has collaborated with the London Improvisers Orchestra, Sofia Jernberg, Maggie Nicols, Christer Bothén, Bram De Looze, and others. She has appeared at major festivals around the world, including the Aarhus Jazz Festival (Denmark), Jazz Goes to Town (Czech Republic), Irtijal Festival (Lebanon), and Jazz Hochburg (Austria).
In 2024 she made her first tour in Portugal giving 6 concerts in Parede, Porto and Lisbon, playing in legendary Jazz and Improvisational Music venues. This summer she participated in Athens Music Week, followed by appearances at the Villach Festival - Austria, Syros Jazz Festival and The Shape of Jazz to Come vol. 5 in the Czech Republic. She was also a speaker at the 2nd Civinet Forum on "Sustainability in the field of culture" commenting on issues of inclusion as a female musician. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
PROJECT NASCENCE NICKY KOKKOLI
“Project Nascence is my creative and artistic ‘birth’. An attempt to break down social, academic and musical stereotypes and surrender to the freedom of sound and imagination”.
"Hello, my name is Nicky and this is my story". With this phrase the album Project Nascence begins, explaining from the beginning that it tells a story. Eight tracks recorded between March 2022 and March 2024.
The artistic view of musician Niki Kokkolis towards music and creativity has strong influences and elements from Jazz, World Music, Electronic and Improvisational Music, while at the same time it is highly experimental, hiding and revealing stories.
It is a project through which the artist, through her music, makes social commentaries, observes everyday life, refers to femicide and the oppression of women (Fanatismeni Den Ime), speaks about the stages of mourning (with reference to the accident in Tempi in March 2023) (Staef Kreis). Two stories that become one narrative, an experimental solo project with saxophones, effects, vinyl and more, and a project with a band influenced by avant-garde Jazz music, create different worlds that meet on a fine line of balance.
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Her aim is to create her musical sound, based on all her musical influences and of course on the social and political conditions that prevail.
