Nikolaj Hess

Danish piano/ keyboard player, composer, producer, arranger and educator.

NH won the gold prize in "Berlingske Tidendes" competition of non-classical music in Copenhagen; won the category best European jazz piano player under 25 in the RAI competition in Rome and was a finalist in Leverkusener Jazztages "European Young Artist" competition in Germany.

Having graduated from Rhythmic Conservatory at 22, he was the first to get topgrade 13 for his concert performance in piano, his major subject. He later studied in the US with Richie Beirach, Danilo Perez and Gary Dial. He also studied in West Africa with master drummer Odartey and at Legon University in Accra, Ghana.

His numerous recordings as a leader, co-leader and sideman includes Nikolaj Hess Global Motion + (w Mommaas, Hebert, Moreno, Ballard, Monder) nominated as album of the year at DMA 2010, Spacelab The Champ (w AC and Mikkel Hess) and also the Nikolaj Hess Trio "Playin" (Music Mecca), Hess/Lund/Waidtløew/McBride "Back & Forth", Global Motion (Sunnyside Records), Ulla Henningsen "The Man I Love" (Sony), "Global Motion Trio" (Calibre), Hessismore, "Coral" with Gregory Hutchinson, Chris Cheek & Jens Skou, "A Word" with Sissel Vera Pettersen nominated as best jazz vocal album DMA 2010, research&development project "Spoiled Child", Hessismore "Live At Wood Wood".

He is leader, co-leader and member of several other groups like NH Quartet, Funky Nacht Music, Hessismore, SisselVeraPettersen/NikolajHess, DocStomp aka Spoiled Child, counting and having counted members like Marc Mommaas, John Hebert, Tony Moreno, Jay Anderson, Francois Moutin, Kenny Wolleson, Christian McBride, Greg Hutchinson, Marylin Mazur, Donny McCaslin, Jochen Rueckert, Satoshi Takeishi, Jesper Lundgaard, Mads Vinding, Alex Riel, Lars Danielsson, Jacob Fisher, Johannes Weidenmuller, Tom Rainey, Cameron Brown, Sissel Vera Petersen, Hans Ulrik and Chris Minh Doky.

He has also worked with Lee Konitz, Benny Golson, Fela Kuti, Femi Kuti, Hal Willner, Etta Cameron, Ulla Henningsen, Annisette Koppel, Julee Cruise, Jamey Haddad, Ben Street, Ben Allison, Essiet Essiet, Lage Lund, Ron Afif, Michelle Walker, Ed Neumeister, Clarence Penn, Danny Gottlieb, James Genus, David Liebman, Hal Crook, Harwie Swartz, Jean Luc Ponty, Marcello Pelletiri, Andrea Marcelli, Michael Blair, Kysia Bostic, Ed Howard, Youron Israels, Victor Rendon, Manny Duran, Dennis Charles, Doug Raney, Judy Niemack, Cæcilie Norby, Debbie Cameron, Lars Hug, Bob Rockwell, Caroline Henderson, Jukka Perko, Severi Pyysalo, Ed Thigpen, Copenhagen Art Ensemble, and many others. He was the music director for american theater guru Robert Wilson's "The White Town and is writing music for Lars Von Triers next movie Melancholia"

He has composed and arranged for solo piano, small groups, large string ensemble, big band, choirs and saxophone quartet, for performances all over the world, also representing the best of danish culture at royal visits and state visits abroad. He has also written music for Zentropa, Nimbus Film, Tju Bang Film and others; and for radio: DR, NKR, Hungarian Radio.

He has also worked as a studio musician. His tours include USA, France, the United Kingdom, Africa, Holland, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Farao Islands, Denmark, South, East and Western Africa

He spends part of his time in New York, where he has played at Sweet Basil, Sweet Rhythm, Smoke, Joes Pub, Zinc Bar, 55 Bar, The Blue Note, The Kitano Lounge, The Cutting Room, Cornelia Street Cafe, Bowery Poetry Club, Pier 2110, Rainbow Room, C-note, Augies, Showmans Jazzclub, NUBLU and Museum of National History.

For 6 months he lived in Africa, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria and South Africa studying and playing African music.

He has been awarded many grants from the Danish government, as well as from private foundations, which has twice included the Bikuben Foundation artist-in-residence in New York. He is sponsored by Bach Pianos Scandinavia

He is associate professor at The Rhythmic Conservatory in Copenhagen, where he is teaching part time. Part of his work includes research/development projects in composition and recording, among them on electronic music, combining computer-based interactive music with acoustic improvisation and composition. He has also been a guest teacher at New School University, New York; William Paterson University, New Jersey, Conservatoire Nationale Superieur de Musique Paris, Funda College, South Africa; Shuttle 2002 South Africa; IASJ 10th annual congress in Cologne (with Jamey Haddad and Dave Liebman), The Royal Danish Conservatory, and Conservatory of Nonclassical Music in Århus.

Awards

RAI's best jazzpianist under 25 years Berlingskes Gold Prize