Nicky Gentil

In 1988, fresh out of Oxford University with a degree in French and German, Nicky Gentil moved to Paris to pursue a career in translation. Some twenty years later - having acquired a husband and two children along the way! - she took up jazz improvisation on the piano, rapidly discovering a great passion for it, so much so that, in 2016, she published a book on the subject. Her first published work, LA JAZZ-GIRL PASSIONNEE ET SON DEVOUE ACCORDEUR (Editions Beaurepaire), is a light-hearted, feel-good account of her unexpected road to jazz. The book received an overwhelmingly positive response at France's 2016 EuroPiano Congress. Consequently, at the suggestion of the English-speaking attendees and in light of numerous requests from family and friends in the UK, she translated her work into English. It was published in March 2018 under the title THE JAZZ-GIRL, THE PIANO, AND THE DEDICATED TUNER (Matador Publishing). In October of that same year, she also published PETITS DIALOGUES EN TAXI (Editions Beaurepaire) - a collection of around thirty tales recounting some of her more memorable cab rides since moving to France - in celebration of her thirtieth anniversary in the capital. TAXI TALES FROM PARIS is the English version of that work. Today, Nicky Gentil divides her time between her writing, translating her writing and her various musical activities.