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Nori Biography
Nori is a genre-bending band featuring Akina Adderley on vocals (granddaughter of jazz legend Nat Adderley), Erik Telford on trumpet, Nick Litterski on keys, Aaron Allen on upright bass, and Andy Beaudoin on drums. Festival Peak describes Nori as “a five-person gift from Austin, TX.”
While Nori has been performing for well over a decade, the Grammy Awards just recently created an Alternative Jazz category in 2023, a category that speaks to Nori’s diverse musical style – “a genre-blending, envelope-pushing hybrid that mixes jazz (improvisation, interaction, harmony, rhythm, arrangements, composition, and style) with other genres.”
Enriching an aesthetic deeply rooted in American jazz and folk music, the ensemble playfully weaves together a myriad of global influences giving rise to a seamless synthesis of sound. These musical explorations expertly balance the narrative of the lyrics with wide-open improvisations, echoing the transcendent tones of Nina Simone, Bill Frisell, John Coltrane, and Joni Mitchell.
The band’s debut album World Anew received much critical acclaim after its release in 2016.
“Nori’s debut full length dissolves divisions and builds bridges between world sounds with seemingly irreconcilable differences. It’s a sonic vision of a harmonious future.” – KUTX
“Lyrics that are pure poetry.” – AXS
“They don’t use their skills to highlight themselves...They practice generous virtuosity.” – Designing & Neighboring
“World Anew gives notice that the ensemble’s rare genius is for making listeners hang rapturously on every word and gesture sung and played.” – Jazz da Gama
Their 2018 follow-up Bruise Blood highlighted visceral themes of social divisions in 21st century America.
“Fusing jazz, folk, pop, and orchestral music, Akina Adderley and company hit all the right notes on their second album.”
– Austin Monthly
★ ★ ★ ★ – The Austin Chronicle
★ ★ ★ ★ – UK Vibe
Right before the Covid shutdown in 2020, the band recorded the single “I See You.” The performance was captured live in one room with a string trio (Leigh Wallenhaupt on violin, Leah Nelson on viola, and Rylie Harrod on cello) and documented with what later became an official live music video.
“'I See You' may be one song, but Nori pours an entire album’s worth of energy into its engineering, imbuing the notes, the lyrics, and the movements with stardust…the stuff that makes us human." – Festival Peak
"'I See You' empathizes with anyone who's suffering, and that's exactly the kind of song we need right now."
– The Austin Chronicle
2021 saw the release of a self-titled vinyl record. Nori is a compilation that documents selected tracks from the band's diverse catalogue along with a previously unreleased cover of "Four Women,” a song by the band’s patron saint of music – Nina Simone. In 2024, the band received a grant from the City of Austin. With this grant, Nori curated a Nina Simone tribute show at The 04 Center with the accompaniment of a 9-piece string orchestra. This performance was met with a stirring response and, as a result, the band will be booking future Nina Simone tribute performances at jazz festivals worldwide.
On August 15, 2025, Nori will release Walking Foot, the band’s third full-length album. The album includes the singles “Piece of You,” “Old Man” (a unique take on Neil Young’s classic song), and “Tiptoe” (to be released with an accompanying live video). Walking Foot is made possible with support provided by the City of Austin’s Austin Live Music Fund.
Read MoreWhile Nori has been performing for well over a decade, the Grammy Awards just recently created an Alternative Jazz category in 2023, a category that speaks to Nori’s diverse musical style – “a genre-blending, envelope-pushing hybrid that mixes jazz (improvisation, interaction, harmony, rhythm, arrangements, composition, and style) with other genres.”
Enriching an aesthetic deeply rooted in American jazz and folk music, the ensemble playfully weaves together a myriad of global influences giving rise to a seamless synthesis of sound. These musical explorations expertly balance the narrative of the lyrics with wide-open improvisations, echoing the transcendent tones of Nina Simone, Bill Frisell, John Coltrane, and Joni Mitchell.
The band’s debut album World Anew received much critical acclaim after its release in 2016.
“Nori’s debut full length dissolves divisions and builds bridges between world sounds with seemingly irreconcilable differences. It’s a sonic vision of a harmonious future.” – KUTX
“Lyrics that are pure poetry.” – AXS
“They don’t use their skills to highlight themselves...They practice generous virtuosity.” – Designing & Neighboring
“World Anew gives notice that the ensemble’s rare genius is for making listeners hang rapturously on every word and gesture sung and played.” – Jazz da Gama
Their 2018 follow-up Bruise Blood highlighted visceral themes of social divisions in 21st century America.
“Fusing jazz, folk, pop, and orchestral music, Akina Adderley and company hit all the right notes on their second album.”
– Austin Monthly
★ ★ ★ ★ – The Austin Chronicle
★ ★ ★ ★ – UK Vibe
Right before the Covid shutdown in 2020, the band recorded the single “I See You.” The performance was captured live in one room with a string trio (Leigh Wallenhaupt on violin, Leah Nelson on viola, and Rylie Harrod on cello) and documented with what later became an official live music video.
“'I See You' may be one song, but Nori pours an entire album’s worth of energy into its engineering, imbuing the notes, the lyrics, and the movements with stardust…the stuff that makes us human." – Festival Peak
"'I See You' empathizes with anyone who's suffering, and that's exactly the kind of song we need right now."
– The Austin Chronicle
2021 saw the release of a self-titled vinyl record. Nori is a compilation that documents selected tracks from the band's diverse catalogue along with a previously unreleased cover of "Four Women,” a song by the band’s patron saint of music – Nina Simone. In 2024, the band received a grant from the City of Austin. With this grant, Nori curated a Nina Simone tribute show at The 04 Center with the accompaniment of a 9-piece string orchestra. This performance was met with a stirring response and, as a result, the band will be booking future Nina Simone tribute performances at jazz festivals worldwide.
On August 15, 2025, Nori will release Walking Foot, the band’s third full-length album. The album includes the singles “Piece of You,” “Old Man” (a unique take on Neil Young’s classic song), and “Tiptoe” (to be released with an accompanying live video). Walking Foot is made possible with support provided by the City of Austin’s Austin Live Music Fund.
Jazz
Alternative Jazz
Crossover Jazz
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