Nikolaj Hess
Nikolaj Hess is a rare proposition. An internationally acclaimed virtuoso composer and performer across jazz, new classical, film scoring and electronic music. A prodigy playing piano since the age of 3, and later violin among other instruments, he was the youngest to start at the Rhythmic Conservatory in Cph and the first to get extraordinary top-grade 13 in his main subject piano, followed by a long list of prizes and honours, including being chosen as the best European Jazz pianist under 25 at the RAI competition in Rome. Hess’s music is characterized by a captivating Scandinavian melodiousness, transformative creativity and a deeply personal golden touch on the piano and in his compositions.
Nikolaj Hess creates music as a pianist, composer, arranger, producer, music director, artistic director, associate professor and is often mentioned as being in the absolute elite of Scandinavian and European jazz and related genres.
Besides international concert series with trio, solo and quartet, Hess’s latest projects include -a commision from the Danish Art Council for composing a concerto for solo violin, string orchestra and bass & drums; -the artistic research project Transformative Reflections supported by the Danish Ministry of Culture and Rhythmic Conservatory about translating and making inspiration tangible from visual art to music, with concerts and talks at a series of museums such as MoMA, The Metropolitan Museum, The Getty Museum, SMK; a string of acclaimed releases with his own projects and ensembles; -international film scores for Lucy Walker, Lars Von Trier, Anders Refn; -collaborating with his brother Mikkel in the electronic avantgarde artpop band Hess Is More; -collaborating as the music director for American-Scandinavian vocalist Caroline Henderson; -international concert series with his European and American projects and ensembles; holding a part-time associate professor tenure at prestigious RMC in Copenhagen.
Press quotes:
“Simply put, these guys are the best piano trio in Denmark, and Nikolaj Hess is one of the most inventive jazz pianists working today” (Mitch Myers Magnet Magazine 2019)
“A delightful, reflective, almost pastoral use of light and shade. If Chopin had been born in New York and received tuition from say Bill Evans or Keith Jarrett he may have sounded like this” writes ‘Bebop spoken here’ (UK) beautifully about Nikolaj Hess.
“Gold dust. Nikolaj Hess’ fingers on the keyboard is an alchemical affair. An album with a wide range of expression, yet spiritually coherent.” (Chr Munch-Hansen Politiken)
“the mastery of Mommaas and Hess completely overwhelms any feeling of normal. This is art of the highest standard, and a record which will most definitely be a “best of” 2016.” (allaboutjazz 2016)
“Hess’ fluidity, harmonic command and palpable determination at the keys, a compelling spectacle~David R. Adler, AAJ (2010) (LIve @ the Kitano)
“Danish pianist Nikolaj Hess careened between heart-melting delicacy and almost Chopinesque virtuosity. Hess is clearly equipped to face the most gargantuan technical demands, but it was the incredible fecundity of his imagination that impressed the most”(Peter Quinn Art Desk, London)
”No matter whether he is working to unite different musical worlds, or getting down on the anatomy of the groove, Hess’ sound world is one that gathers many different aspects of tradition and culture. Global Motion + and The Champ provide two pieces of the puzzle that makes up his many-faceted vision” Jakob Baekgaard Allaboutjazz
“Bilingual in classical and jazz, Hess moves in both cultures with confidence, so the project is not just jazz-with-strings-tacked-on (or vice versa) but an organic hybrid. Though the strings don’t solo they are used as an autonomous voice, providing chromatically embellished melodies, ‘rubbing’ dissonances (caused by adjacent chord tones), canons, chorales and jousting countermelodies. The leader threads it all together, rippling through the colorful arrangements with a gorgeous feathery effervescent touch, equal parts Murray Perahia and Bill Evans.” (New York City Jazz Record)
“Few jazz albums so perfectly intertwine the classical side with the jazz improv side as Hess does on here…
The title of Hess’ album, Spacelab & Strings, is an apt description of the music on offer, but one that vastly underplays the scope and grand virtuosity he’s achieved.” (Allmusic Matt Collar)
“rich parlor atmospheres on the elegant “Black and White before Hess closes things out with a Debussyesque solo on “ Intro Exit”. Sublime, sophisticated and satisfying” (Jazz Weekly)
“Perhaps that is why Caroline Henderson had allowed herself the luxury of bringing along the golden eagle among Danish jazz pianists, Nikolaj Hess himself. A brilliant musician, who from the first stroke on the black and white keys made the concert heartbreakingly beautiful. Fortunately, all the songs were structured in such a way that there was plenty of room for the piano king’s colossal refined, excellent format.” (digg dk “Hess & Henderson”)
“Drummer/band-leader isn’t often a role you see within a band but then again, there isn’t anything especially normal about Hess Is More. Led by brothers Mikkel and Nikolaj Hess, the New York/Copenhagen act play a peculiar fusion of kraut-rock and jazz with a flair for the percussive.
Their disdain for convention carries on into their live show where Mikkel leads the band with his back to the audience like a conductor would, except most conductors aren’t sitting at a drum kit. The band spread out on stage before him, a bizarre mix of percussion, both acoustic and electric, guitars, saxophones and pianos which are all called upon to form the unique Hess Is More sound. As the beats build and tempo speeds up the sound takes on an almost tribal energy, with drums beats syncopating and colliding in a dramatic fashion. There is a sense of organised chaos about the experience as no matter how loose the compositions feel, you know that it’s going exactly to plan. And that’s what Hess Is More do, combine the percussive rigidity of krautrock with the freeform energy of jazz with unconventional but highly positive results.” Catfromjapan
Latest works/events:
for artistic research “transformative reflections” on translation and inspiration from painting, please see www.transformativereflections.com and https://www.researchcatalogue.net/profile/show-exposition?exposition=882976
Solo piano compositions inspired by Matisse painting “Red Studio” for concert at Museum of Modern Art MoMA NYC Sept 2022 and the Danish National Museum Nov 2022.
Album Nikolaj Hess Spacelab & Strings 2021 on Sunnyside Records. Nominated DMA best jazz composer, nominated Carl Prisen best jazz composer. Broad international recognition.
Concert Piece for violin, string orchestra, bass and drums recorded fro Dacapo Records 2021, concert with Danish Chamber Orchestra in DKDM Concert Hall 2021
Album Chess dec 2021 experimental electronic/acoustic improvisation, composition and visuals with Carlos Guedes and Laetitia Moieras.
Album Piano Chronicles vol.1 & vol.2, acoustic piano remixes of Hessismore songbook.
22 million+ streams on Spotify with albums Portrait in Jazz Sunday & Monday.
Soundtrack and live music in the feature film “De Forbandede År” by Anders Refn premiere Jan 2020, winner og the Golden Peacock, and sequel “Out of the Darkness” 2022.
Albums: Spacelab “Bugs – Live In London”, Nikolaj Hess Micro Chapters (Gateway) solopiano/effects and a section with Praghs symphonys string section (all music by NH), Mikroskop duo with Sissel Vera Pettersen, Hess/Brown/Huntley “The Art Of The Hang” 2018, Nikolaj Hess “Rhapsody”, Impressions Of Hammershøi, (Japanese release on Yoko Yoneyamas Cloud Feb 2016), written by NH for his concert series ”Impressions Of Hammershøi” at SMKs Hammershøi udstilling i New York, Hess/Mommaas Ballads and Standards (Sunnyside Records 2016), 3xHess Music for Mum and Dad (winner DMA 2014 best jazz album), Hess/AC/Hess Spacelab (nominated best jazz album DMA 2014), Nikolaj Hess “Trio” (chosen as best jazz album by Politiken 2013, nominated best jazz album DMA 2013), Global Motion+ (nominated best jazz album DMA 2011), Sissel Vera Pettersen/Nikolaj Hess “A Word” (nominated best jazz album DMA 2011) Nikolaj Hess Spacelab The Champ, Hessismore “Demoncrazy” (2011), Hessismore My Head Is A Ballroom” (2014), Caroline Henderson “Lonely House (co-producer, pianist), Caroline Henderson “Jazz Collection” (pianist, co-producer, arrangør). Furthermore NHs jazz piano can be heard on a long line of international jazz releases.
Nikolaj Hess has written music for several award winning movies and tv-shows, including Lars von Trier’s “Melancholia”, German director Julian Fezer’s “Meeres Stille” (nominated “Best Music In Film at International Filmmakers Festival, London), “Into the Darkness” (winner of the Golden Peacock) and “Out of the Darkness” by Anders Refn, also as tv series on TV2 DK, and contributions to Frederikke Aspböck’s “Viften” (winner of the Nordic Council’s Film Prize), Lucy Walker’s “Moutain Queen”, acquired and released by Netflix USA Jan 2024 after winning the audience award at the premiere at TIFF Oct 2023. As well as noteworthy short films Phie Ambos Gambler, Maia Sørensens How To Be A Perfect Human, Andreas Johnsens Bugs, Friedrich Tiedkes The Boy in The Ocean a.o.
He has also made music for cross-genre project with a.o. Mie Olise, Rose Eken, Krueger & Pardeller (Austria), Peter Kyle (USA), Tim Rushton (UK/DK) among many others.
NH has composed and arranged for various projects and settings, solo piano, duo, trio, quartet to tentet, cross-over ensembles, classical ensembles, symphony orchestra, choir, etc.
NH’s music can also be found around the world in installations, at other peoples performances, short-films and websites.
NH has toured extensively in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Farao Islands, Finland, Greenland, Holland, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, France, Hungary, Bulgaria, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Tanzania, South-Afrika, Turkey, USA, China, Japan.
NH has worked, played and/or recorded with Lee Konitz, Benny Golson, Marc Mommaas, Jay Anderson, Ambrose Akinmusire, Tony Scherr, Kenny Wollesen, Chris Cheek, Ben Monder, Greg Hutchinson, Thomas Morgan, Jeff Ballard, Tim Rushton, Donny McCaslin, Jochen Rueckert, Clarence Penn, Chr McBride, Hal Wilner, Robert Wilson, Folkloric Selamta, Caroline Henderson, Etta Cameron, Palle Mikkelborg, Marilyn Mazur, Fela Kuti, Dele Sosimi, Dennis Charles, Savage Rose, Hessismore, and many many others
Finished his studies magnum com laude at RMC 1991, followed by private studies in West-Africa (West-African drumming and folclore music in general), (6 months 92/93) and USA (93, 97/98, 01, 05) focusing on composition and piano.
DMA winner 2015 best jazz release, Politiken best jazz release of 2013, DMA nominated best jazz release 2013, 2015, best vocal jazz release 2012. Winner in the category best European Jazz Pianist under 25 at the RAI competition in Rom 1991, gold winner of Berlingske Tidendes young talent competition 1989. Nominated for best music in Film at The International Filmmaker Festival i London (23-28 feb 2015) for his music for German movie Meeres Stille
NH is artistic director of Jazz Denmarks prominent Summer Session since 2013, curating an for a large part American Jazz oriented international faculty for a select group of professional musicians and music creators from mainly Denmark, and has taught composition, piano, ear-training, theory, ensemble playing, arranging and artistic development at RMC, DJM, DKDM, New School University USA, William Paterson University USA, Conservatoire Superieure National De Paris, New York Jazz Workshop, Conservatory van Amsterdam, Jazz Institute of Berlin under UDK, Bogazi University Istanbul, etc. He currently holds a part time associate professorship at RMC, where he teaches artistic development work, composition, interplay, piano and works with artistic research in the trans-disciplinary field of painting and music.
