Nicki arrived in New York in May 1994 on an Arts Council grant from Australia to study with the internationally acclaimed bassist, Rufus Reid. Since June 2000, Nicki has played on Monday nights at the Iridium Jazz Club with the legendary guitarist and inventor, Les Paul. Nicki and her sister, Lisa Parrott headlined at the prestigious Tribute to Mary Lou Williams festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in May 2002, which was broadcast on National Public Radio. She is also the resident bassist with the Kitchen House Blend which premieres and performs new music by New York composers.
Since coming to New York she has performed with such notable musicians as Clark Terry, Michel Legrand, Billy Taylor, Dick Hyman, Terri Thornton, Holly Hoffman, Diva, Marlena Shaw, Monica Mancini, Patrice Rushen, Skitch Henderson, the New York Pops Orchestra, Florida Pops Orchestra, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Pizzarelli, Warren Vache, Jr., Harry Allen, Red Holloway, Rebecca Paris, Kenny Davern, José Feliciano, Randy Brecker, Mike Stern, Bernard Purdie, John Tropea, David Krakauer, Howard Alden, Randy Sandke, Greg Osby, Jack Wilkins, Ken Peplowski, Johnny Frigo, Joe Wilder, Houston Person, Wycliffe Gordon, Rachel Z and Johnny Varro. Nicki has also performed in several Broadway shows such as Avenue Q, Imaginary Friends, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Summer of '42 and Jekyll and Hyde.
Nicki has performed at such major festivals in the USA as the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Jazz in July at the 92nd Street Y, Litchfield Jazz Festival, Detroit Jazz Festival, and the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. Overseas, she has performed at the Berlin Jazz Festival, the Cully Lavaux and the Ascona and Berne Jazz Festivals in Switzerland, the Edinburgh and Grimsby Jazz Festivals in the UK, the Krakow Music Festival in Poland, the Ottawa Jazz Festival in Canada, and various Australian festivals.
Background
Born in Newcastle, Australia, Nicki started her musical training with the piano at the age of four, and soon after took up the flute as well. She continued to play flute and piano throughout her school years, but switched to double bass at the age of 15 because her sister Lisa, who plays alto sax, wanted a bassist for her group. After completing high school, Nicki moved to Sydney to study jazz at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music and shortly after began to play with well-known Australian musicians such as Mike Nock, Dale Barlow, Paul Grabowsky, Bernie McGann, and Ten Part Invention. She also toured Australia with Russian musicians Daniel Kramer and Alexander Fischer and American trumpeters Bobby Shew and Chuck Findley.
Nicki studied with various bassists in Australia, and when visiting bassists such as Ray Brown and John Clayton were in town, Nicki would take a lesson with them. She is also the recipient of two awards, the first being a scholarship to Pan Pacific Music Camps at the age of 16, and first place in the 1992 Jazz Action Society’s Annual Song Competition for her composition "Come and Get It", which is the opening track of Nicki and Lisa’s debut CD. She was also nominated for the annual Australian Young Achievers Award by the Arts Council of Australia who granted her the funds to head to New York to study with Rufus Reid.
www.nickiparrott.com
パリの空の下
Nicki Parrott Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Try to be smart, don't let your heart catch on fire
Love becomes king the moment it's spring under Paris skies
Lonely hearts meet somewhere on the street of desire
Parisian love can bloom
High in a skylight room
Or in a gay café
Where hundreds of people can see
Don't ever be a heartbroken stranger like me
Oh, I fell in love
Yes, I was a fool
For Paris can be
So beautifully cruel
Paris is just a gay coquette
Who wants to love and then forget
Stranger beware, there's love in the air
Just look and see what happened to me under Paris skies
Watch what you do, the same thing can happen to you
Oh, I fell in love
Yes, I was a fool
For Paris can be
So beautifully cruel
Paris is just a gay coquette
Who wants to love and then forget
Stranger beware, there's love in the air
Just look and see what happened to me under Paris skies
Watch what you do, the same thing can happen to you
The lyrics of Nicki Parrott's song "パリの空の下" or "Under Paris Skies" speak of a warning to strangers who come to the city of Paris. The air is filled with love, but it can also lead to heartbreak. The song encourages the listener to be smart and not let their heart catch on fire. The lyrics talk about how love becomes king in the spring under Paris skies, and how lonely hearts meet on the street of desire. The song also mentions that Parisian love can bloom high in a skylight room or in a gay café where everyone can see.
The lyrics describe how the singer has fallen in love and lost her heart under Paris skies, and is warning others not to be heartbroken strangers like her. The city of Paris is described as beautifully cruel, a gay coquette who wants to love and then forget. The song encourages the listener to be cautious and watch what they do, as the same thing can happen to them.
Overall, the lyrics of "パリの空の下" warn listeners to beware of the love in the air under Paris skies and be careful not to fall for the city's charms and end up heartbroken like the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Stranger beware, there's love in the air under Paris skies
Be careful, there are many opportunities for love in Paris.
Try to be smart, don't let your heart catch on fire
Be cautious, don't fall in love too quickly.
Love becomes king the moment it's spring under Paris skies
Spring is the perfect time for love in Paris.
Lonely hearts meet somewhere on the street of desire
People looking for love often cross paths on the streets of Paris.
Parisian love can bloom
Love can grow in Paris.
High in a skylight room
Sometimes love takes root in high-rise buildings with skylights.
Or in a gay café
Love can also be found in lively cafes with lots of people.
Where hundreds of people can see
In public places like cafes, people can see love in action.
I wasn't smart and I lost my heart under Paris skies
I wasn't careful and I fell in love in Paris.
Don't ever be a heartbroken stranger like me
Don't make the same mistake as me and end up heartbroken in Paris.
Oh, I fell in love
I fell in love in Paris.
Yes, I was a fool
I was foolish to fall in love so quickly.
For Paris can be
Paris can have unexpected consequences.
So beautifully cruel
Paris can be cruel even when it's beautiful.
Paris is just a gay coquette
Paris is a flirtatious city.
Who wants to love and then forget
Paris loves to love and leave.
Watch what you do, the same thing can happen to you
Be careful not to make the same mistake as me and fall in love too easily in Paris.
Writer(s): H.giraud, Jandre, K.gannon
Contributed by James T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Anonymous
on Walk On By
Walk On By - Nicki Parrott - Lyrics
If you see me walkin' down the street
And I start to cry each time we meet
Walk on by
Walk on by
Make believe that you don't see the tears
Just let me grieve in private 'cause each time I see you
I break down and cry
Walk on by
Just walk on by
Walk on by
I just can't get over losin' you
And so if I seem, broken and blue
Walk on by
Walk on by
Foolish pride, that's all that I have left
So let me hide the tears and the sadness you gave me
When you said goodbye
So walk on by
Walk on by
Just walk on by
Musical Interlude
Foolish pride, that's all that I have left
So let me hide the tears and the sadness you gave me
When you said goodbye
So walk on by
Walk on by
Now you really gotta go, so walk on by
Baby, leave, you'll never see the tears I cry
Walk on by
Anonymous
on Blue Christmas
I'm Glad There Is You - Nicki Parrott - Lyrics
Said I many times, love is an illusion,
A feeling, result of confusion.
With knowing smile and blaise sigh,
A cynical so-and-so was I!
I feel so secure, so positive,
So utterly unchangingly certain,
That I never was aware of loving you
Till suddenly I realized there was love and you,
And all;
In this world of ordinary people,
Extraordinary people,
I'm glad there is you.
In this world of overrated pleasures,
And underrated treasures,
I'm so glad there is you.
I live to love,
I love to live
With you beside me.
This road so new
I'll muddle through
With you to guide me.
In this world where many many play at love,
And hardly any stay in love,
I'm glad there is you.
More than ever,
I'm glad there is you.
Musical Interlude
In this world where many many play at love,
And hardly any stay in love,
I'm glad there is you.
More than ever,
I'm glad there is you.
Anonymous
on I Love Paris
Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White - Nicki Parrott - Lyrics
It's cherry pink and apple blossom white
When your true lover comes your way
It's cherry pink and apple blossom white
The poets say
The story goes that once a cherry tree
Beside an apple tree did grow
And there a boy once met his
Bride to be
Long, long ago
The boy looked into her eyes
What a sight to enthroll
The breezes joined in their sighs
The blossoms started to fall
And as they gently caressed
The lovers looked up to find
The branches of the two trees
Were intertwined
And that is why the poets always write
If there's a new moon bright above
It's cherry pink and apple blossom white
When you're in love
Musical Interlude
The boy looked into her eyes
It was a sight to enthroll
The breezes joined in their sighs
The blossoms started to fall
And as they gently caressed
The lovers looked up to find
The branches of the two trees
Were intertwined
And that is why the poets always write
If there's a new moon bright above
It's cherry pink and apple blossom white
When you're in love