Jost Nickel
belongs to the golden generation of drummers from Germany. A top session and tour player, like his friends Anika Nilles (one of Jost’s students), Marco Minnemann and Benny Greb, Jost is taking contemporary drumming in new directions.

His name appears within the credits of many hit records at home, as well as abroad. He has played and recorded with Jazz Greats like Randy Brecker, Jeff Lorber, Bob Mintzer, Jimmy Haslip, Barry Finnerty, Mitch Forman, Brandon Fields and many more.

He made his international debut as a clinician and educator with a performance at the Montreal Drum Fest in Canada (2010), followed by PASIC (USA) in 2012 & 2016, the Namm Show (USA) in 2015, the Meinl Drum Festival (2008, 2012 & 2016), the London Drum Show (2016), the Tam Tam Festival in Spain (2016) and the UK Drum Show in 2017. Jost was nominated “Best Clinician” by Modern Drummer Magazine in 2016 and was voted on MusicRadar’s list of “the 10 best drum clinicians in the world” in 2016 & 2017.

He has released three best-selling books through Alfred Publishing: “Jost Nickel’s GROOVE BOOK” (2015), “Jost Nickel’s FILL BOOK” (2017), and “Jost Nickel’s SNARE BOOK” (2019). Two of which were nominated “Best Educational Product” by Modern Drummer Magazine (USA).

He has written feature articles and workshops in Modern Drummer Magazine, Drummer (UK), Rhythm & Drums (Japan), Batterie (France), Drums & Percussion (Germany) and other publications.

Jost is known for his punchy, articulate drum sound, which he counterbalances with a jazzy, exotic cymbal wash. His ‘light and shade’ vibe reflects a cutting edge drummer who keeps one foot steeped in tradition, with a pocket and groove that is undeniable.

In addition to touring and recording, Jost, who studied at Drummers Collective in New York, is a tutor at the highly acclaimed University of Pop in Mannheim.