Nicholas Thomas Brignola (born 17 July 1936), known as “Nick”, was an American jazz baritone saxophonist. He began playing clarinet at age 11 before adopting the alto and tenor saxophones and flute. At age 20, he adopted the baritone saxophone as his primary instrument. While studying at Ithaca College, his quintet won the 1957 DownBeat award for best college group, leading to his first album recording and festival appearances. This recognition earned him the Benny Goodman Scholarship to the Berklee College of Music. Brignola gained international recognition in the 1960s touring with Ted Curson and later joined the fusion group Petrus. His discography includes Baritone Madness (1978) and Live at Sweet Basil First Set (1993). Between 1998 and 2002, he won the DownBeat poll for his instrument. Brignola died in 8 February 2002 in Albany. The album Things Ain't What They Used to Be was released posthumously in 2003.
