Who is Nectar?
Nectar is an intimate quartet weaving together music of the Americas using bass, hand drums, guitar and vocals. Our styles include, but are not limited to latin jazz, bossa nova and samba, bomba, and interpretations of modern jazz and pop standards in a latin style. Based in Western MA, Nectar infuses it's complex and tasteful style to a wide range of songs, leaving listeners with a taste of musical umami.
About Nectar
Kate Nicolaou is one of the founding members of Nectar, sharing her light, clear voice and creative solos with valley audiences for years. Kate has studied with jazz greats, Sheila Jordan and Jay Clayton, and local artist, Kimaya Diggs. Kate sings with the Butterfly Swing Band, crooning 1920s to 1940s tunes, and improvises alongside toddlers and preschoolers in Western MA schools. Kate’s style is influenced by Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald, and Astrud Gilberto. She loves to reinterpret songs, and finds joy in the playful aspects of creating and performing music.
Nick Shaw has taught Afro-Puerto Rican drum and dance at Amherst Regional High School for over 20 years. In that time he has studied with several of the island's masters including members of the Cepeda and Ayala families. He and his partner have also guided several instructional trips for students to Puerto Rico in addition to supporting Afro-Puerto Rican cultural expression in Western MA.
Juan Araneda has played a wide range of styles on guitar since the age of 12. Today he specializes in Jazz, Latin Jazz, Fusion, Brazilian Jazz, looping and original music all featuring the nylon-stringed guitar. He's played solo and with a variety of groups and ensembles, and recorded and performed lead nylon-stringed guitar for singer songwriter friends.
Bill Noland has played bass for over forty years in a variety of styles. He achieved his greatest successes in Eccentric Orbit, a Progressive Rock outfit that achieved international acclaim between 2004 and 2015, and with Brave Pursuit, a classic rock band based in Eastern, MA, in which he also sings lead vocals. Currently, Bill also plays bass with Minstrels in the Gallery, a Jethro Tull tribute band, and plays electric guitar with The Yasu Suzuki Method. Along with music, Bill is the author of “Uncommon Bonds,” a series of supernatural thrillers on Evolved Publishing.