Nicky Kokkoli was born in Athens, Greece. She is an active member of the Greek Jazz and Free improvisational music scene, developing her own solo projects as well as participating in various music ensembles. Nicky has toured and continue to do so in big stages across Europe, in venues such as Fylkingen – Stockholm, Cafe ‘Oto – London, and performed in many international music festivals such as Aarhus Jazz Festival in Denmark, Irtijal Festival in Lebanon, and Borderline Festival in Greece etc.
She has collaborated with the London Improvisers Orchestra and professional musicians, among others: Sofia Jernberg, Maggie Nicols, Lisa Ullén, Christer Bothén, Martin Küchen, Bram De Looze, Sharif Sehnaoui and others.
She is a member of the Swedish-Greek band “Ahanes” which in 2022 released their first album, “Petrichor”, released by “Clean Feed” – a Portuguese record label considered to be one of the most important in the world. The album was selected among the label’s best releases by legendary magazine New York City Jazz Record.
She is currently in the process of releasing her first album with her sextet, while also working on a solo project for saxophone and electronics. Nicky explores the limits of the saxophone while playing with contrasts, using melodies and vocabulary from Jazz, Improvised Music, Traditional Music of Greece and the Middle East. Her vision is to be able to create her own unique music sound based on all musical influences that inspire her, and through her music, to question current political and social issues.