René Eugene Michel “Mickey” Nicolas, born January 18, 1926 in Laon, France, was a French jazz and easy listening saxophonist, arranger, and composer. After studying under Marcel Mule at the Paris Conservatory, Nicolas joined the orchestras of Claude Bolling, Benny Vasseur, and Michel Legrand during the 1950s, and contributed to the soundtrack of the film Paris Blues (1960). In the 1960s, he recorded with Martial Solal, Jean-Luc Ponty, and Jef Gilson, and in 1969 conducted a studio session for Guy Marchand featuring Stéphane Grappelli. Nicolas became a member of the French composer association SACEM in 1944, and composed several film scores, as well as show and ballet works including Formule 1 and Listening to Paris. From 1977 to 1990, he served as the assistant conductor at the Paris cabaret Le Lido. His own easy listening releases include the extended play Gloria and the album Join the Dance No. 10. Nicolas died on August 14, 2018.
