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Nikolaj Hess is the leader of NHess Trio and Global Motion, plays with the Hessismore band, and various other groups.
www.nhess.dk
Danish piano/ keyboard player, arranger and composer. One of the leading voices of piano from Scandinavia, currently in New York.
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.
Having graduated from Rhythmic Conservatory at 22, he was the first to get absolute topgrade 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.
His numerous recordings as a leader, co-leader and sideman includes the Nikolaj Hess Trio "Playin" (Music Mecca), Hess/Lund/Waidtløew/McBride "Back & Forth", “Balance” & “Global Motion” (Sunnyside Records), Ulla Henningsen "The Man I Love" (Sony), "Global Motion Trio" (Calibre), Hessismore, the recently recorded "Trio & Quartet" with Gregory Hutchinson, Chris Cheek & Jens Skou, which will be released this spring.
He is leader, co-leader and member of several other groups like NH Quartet, Funky Nacht Music, Hessismore, Hess/Pettersen Dissapearhear, DocStomp, counting and having counted members like Christian McBride, Marc Mommaas, Marylin Mazur (former Miles Davis percussionist), Donny McCaslin, Jochen Rueckert, 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, Jamey Haddad, Ed Neumeister, 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, Dennis Charles, Doug Raney, Cæcilie Norby, Debbie Cameron, Lars Hug, Bob Rockwell, Caroline Henderson, Jukka Perko, Severy Pyssalo, Ed Thigpen, Copenhagen Art Ensemble, and many others. In the Fall of 2002,he was the orchestra director for american theater guru Robert Wilson's "The White Town."
He has composed and arranged for solo piano, small groups, large string ensemble, big band, choirs and saxophone quartet. He has also written music for the Danish film company Zentropa, Tju Bang Film and others; and for radio: DR, NKR, Hungarian Radio.
He has also worked as a studio musician. His tours include France, the United Kingdom, Africa, Holland, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Greenland, Island, Farao Islands, Denmark, South, East and Western Africa and the United States.
For 6 months he lived in Africa, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria and South Africa studying and playing African music.
He has recorded for Sony, Ellipsis Art and Sunnyside Records, Storyville, Sundance, Music Mecca, Music for Dreams. 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 on leave from his associate professor position at The Rhythmic Conservatory in Copenhagen, where has been teaching part time since 1996. 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; Funda College, South Africa; Shuttle 2002 South Africa; IASJ 10th annual congress in Cologne (where he was co-teacher with Jamey Haddad), and Conservatory of Nonclassical Music in Århus.
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