"Kicks and spins, has command of rhythmic enticement. Has a romantic streak, and a spirit of harmonic adventurousness. Sounds fresh and gives some future scope to the acoustic piano."
Owen Cordle (Down Beat Magazine, USA)
Photo Credit: Simon KnudsenA generation younger than artists like Keith Jarrett and Pat Metheny, the pianist is one of the most acclaimed, prolific and unique jazz artists of his time. Originally from Copenhagen, Denmark, Doky started his professional career at age 13 and soon after began working with American jazz legend, Thad Jones. Since, Doky has released over 40 albums as a leader, has collaborated with the greatest artists in jazz and has won countless awards and accolades around the world. When he released his debut album in 1986, the American jazz writer, Dan Morgenstern wrote: “There is nothing more encouraging and satisfying than to encounter for the first time a young Jazz musician of real stature, someone who can make you feel that the future of the music is in good hands. There can not be the slightest doubt that Doky’s talent is of real significance ‐ that rare thing in the Jazz of our time, an original voice in the great tradition”.
Sir Niels Lan Doky has graced the most prestigious stages globally, from Royal Albert Hall to Carnegie Hall, to the Blue Note and beyond, captivating audiences everywhere, and has collaborated with the greatest jazz luminaries, such as Pat Metheny, Michael Brecker, David Sanborn, Ray Brown and Darryl Jones, as well as classical orchestras like the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Copenhagen Phil. Known for his compelling improvisations and melodic-harmonic brilliance, Sir Doky stands as an exceptional pianist with a broad range.
Sir Doky's new concert series, “The Radius Of Now,” showcases original compositions, as well as improvisational ‘Explorations’ - spontaneous, abstract-poetic creations that delve deep into the present moment, rendering each performance a singular and extraordinary experience that cannot be replicated. His symbiosis of Nordic lyricism and romanticism with American strength and determination defines his musical identity.
Sir Niels Lan Doky embodies a musical prowess in the league of jazz piano giants of yesteryear, and was knighted by HM Queen Margrethe II of Denmark in 2010 for his musical contributions. As an esteemed Bösendorfer Artist, Sir Doky’s unparalleled tapestries of notes transport the instrument’s unmatched beauty to concert stages worldwide, inviting audiences to experience the sparkling storytelling within his music.
Aside from performing, arranging, composing and producing music - his work also include film director, author, venue owner and public speaker. He has lived in Boston, New York, Paris and London before returning to his hometown of Copenhagen in 2013, where he gave the TEDx Talk “How Jazz Wisdom Will Change Your Life” in 2016.
COLLABORATORS
Niels Lan Doky is an eternal collaborator. Not that it’s not a part of Jazz. But to be fair, this list is a who’s who of the real players in the genre.
TRUMPET:
Woody Shaw, Thad Jones, Clark Terry, Randy Brecker, Tom Harrell, Jon Faddis, Eddie Henderson, Palle Mikkelborg, Till Brönner, Nils-Petter Molvær, Anders Bergcrantz, Terrence Blanchard, Brian Lynch, Claudio Roditi, Flavio Boltro, Maurice André, Phil Grenadier, Phil Harper, Jens Winther, Eric Lelann, Gerard Presencer, Jack Walrath, Ted Curson, Bill Mobley, Wallace Roney, Benny Bailey, Luca Aquino, Peter Asplund, Björn Ingelstam
TENOR SAX:
Joe Henderson, Michael Brecker, Bob Berg, David Liebman, Jerry Bergonzi, Bill Evans, Steve Grossman, Joe Lovano, Branford Marsalis, Larry Schneider, Bob Mintzer, Johnny Griffin, Charlie Rouse, Jimmy Heath, Bob Malach, Ernie Wilkins, Frank Wes, Bent Jædig, Bill Pierce, Gary Thomas, Rick Margitza, Scott Robinson, Tore Brunborg, Tommy Smith, Gabor Bolla, Ada Rovatti, Tim Ries, David Murray, Junior Cook, Lew Tabackin, Per Goldschmidt, Magnus Lindgren
ALTO SAX:
David Sanborn, Phil Woods, Kenny Garrett, Gary Bartz, Donald Harrison, Greg Osby, Steve Coleman, Jesse Davis, George Robert, Frank Morgan, Chris Woods, Sonny Fortune, Fredrik Kronkvist, Marta Wajdzik
TROMBONE:
Slide Hampton, Albert Mangelsdorf, Al Grey, Steve Turre, Denis Leloup, Clifford Adams, Phil Wilson
ACOUSTIC BASS:
Ray Brown, Buster Williams, Gary Peacock, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (NHØP), Steve Rodby, Chris Minh Doky, Ron McClure, Eddie Gomez, Charlie Haden, Palle Danielsson, Francois Moutin, Lars Danielsson, Larry Grenadier, Dave Young, Jean François Jenny Clark, Ray Drummond, Ira Coleman, Arild Andersen, Mads Vinding, Jesper Lundgård, Dieter Ilg, Anders Jormin, Robert Hurst, Delbert Felix, Bo Stief, Pierre Boussaguet, Sante Debriano, Jonathan Bremer, Tobias Dall, Felix Moseholm, Erik Moseholm, Jens Melgård, Guffi Pallesen, Konrad Hove, Lennart Ginman, Romulo Duarte, Morten Ramsbøl, Rufus Reid, Curtis Lundy, Lonnie Plaxico, Scott Colley, Terje Venaas, Ugonna Okegwo, Graig Earle, Martin Sjöstedt
ELECTRIC BASS:
Marcus Miller, Darryl Jones, Richard Bona, Felix Pastorius, Mark Egan, Jimmy Haslip, Alphonso Johnson, Linley Marthe, Tom Kennedy, Lars “DK” Danielsson
GUITAR:
John Scofield, Pat Metheny, John McLaughlin, Mike Stern, John Abercrombie, Chuck Loeb, Russel Malone, Ulf Wakenius, Louis Winsberg, Jean Marie Ecay, Pelle Von Bülow, Claudio Suriano
DRUMS:
Harvey Mason, Jack DeJohnette, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Terri Lyne Carrington, Billy Cobham, Lenny White, Dave Weckl, Al Foster, Billy Hart, Albert “Tootie” Heath, Ed Thigpen, Alan Dawson, Peter Erskine, Manu Katché, Alex Riel, Daniel Humair, Adam Nussbaum, Alvin Queen, Jeff Hamilton, Paul Wertico, Victor Lewis, Norman Fearrington, Klaus Suonsaari, Jeff Boudreaux, Victor Jones, David “Fingers” Haynes, Billy Kilson, Louis Moutin, Anders Mogensen, Niclas Bardeleben, Nikolaj Dall, Karl Jannuska, Jukkis Uotila, Bill Stewart, Mike Clark, Terry Clarke, Mike Carvin, John Ramsay, André Ceccarelli, Jørn Elniff, Stephane Huchard, Buddy Williams, Ronnie Burrage, Nicolas Viccaro, Greg Hutchinson, Per Lindvall, Jonas Johansen
PERCUSSION:
Airto Moreira, Marilyn Mazur, Mino Cinelu, Xavier Desandre-Navarre, Darryl Munyungo Jackson, Trilok Gurtu
VOCALISTS:
Gino Vannelli, Al Jarreau, Debbie Sledge, Camille Sledge, Brian McKnight, Joss Stone, Monica Zetterlund, Diane Reeves, Curtis Stigers, Lisa Nilsson, Roberta Gambarini, Flora Purim, Bernard Fowler, Jamie Cullum, Youn Sun Nah, Thanh Lam, Sanne Salomonsen, Lis Sørensen, Kim Larsen, Stig Rossen, Peabo Bryson, Deborah Brown, Amanda Thomsen, Leandra McNair, Desmond Scaife Jr., Dakota Staton, Edda Magnason, Cæcilie Norby, Malene Mortensen, Viktoria Tolstoy, Daniel Rolim, Jordan Jackson, Chris Mayne, Frederikke Vedel, Nana Nørgaard, Christina Undhjem, Alberte Winding, Søs Fenger, Monique Spartalis, Jon Hendricks, Abbey Lincoln, Björn Ingelstam
OTHER KEYBOARDISTS / PIANISTS:
Oscar Peterson, George Duke, Don Grolnick, Michel Petrucciani, Kenny Barron, Russel Ferrante, Emil Spanyi, Joey Alexander, Martial Solal, Thomas Clausen, Calle Brickman
MISC. INSTRUMENTS:
Toots Thielemans (harmonica), Gregoire Maret (harmonica), Mathias Heise (harmonica), Didier Lockwood (violin), Svend Asmussen (violin), Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone), Mike Mainieri (vibraphone), Severi Pyysalo (vibraphone), Hubert Laws (flute), Frank Wes (flute), Howard Johnson (tuba), Lalo Schifrin (composer/arranger/pianist), Michael Gibbs (composer), Daniel Nielsen (composer), Tomas Nilsson (arranger), Emil Spanyi (arranger/orchestrator)
ORCHESTRAS:
Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra/Tivoli Symphony Orchestra, The Metropole Orchestra
PRODUCERS:
Phil Ramone, Creed Taylor, Elizabeth Healy, Lalo Schifrin, Nikolaj Foss, Richard Marx, Ross Vannelli, Joe Vannelli, Gino Vannelli, Jamey Aebersold, Makoto Kimata, Billy Cross, Jens Thomsen, Marcus Miller, Bjarne Rostvold, Dave Stewart, Kasper Winding
ENGINEERS:
James Farber, Malcolm Pollack, Jan Erik Kongshaug, Bernie Grundman, Hans Nielsen, Jay Newland, Robert Read, Rudy Van Gelder, Kimio Oikawa, David Oakes, Franz Erl, Frank Goldberg, Jørgen Vad
Niels Lan Doky’s Side Projects
INTERNATIONAL JAZZ COLLECTIVE
In 2017, Niels felt he needed to begin to pave the way for a legacy in the Jazz Scene in Denmark. Following his years of playing around the world and recent success with The Standard Jazz Club in Copenhagen, he had built relationships with some of the best players, old and new, that were looking for a communal belonging grounded in the values and beliefs of Jazz that Niels has spent so much of his life protecting. With that, the Niels Lan Doky International Jazz Collective was established as an association of prolific musicians from three different continents (Europe, North America and South America) - devoted to presenting exclusive jazz performances of the highest order. Since 2017, the IJC has produced close to 200 events since 2017 at iconic venues like the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Kronborg Castle, National Museum of Denmark, Tivoli Glassalen, The Concert Hall of Aarhus, The Opera House, Nørrebro Theater, and much more.
JAZZ CLUB DEVELOPER & OWNER
In 2010, Niels was honorably asked to re-establish the legendary Montmartre Jazzhus as an iconic venue in his home of Copenhagen. Commuting back and forth between Paris, Niels helped re-open the club, created a clear booking direction and set the venue on a path to achieve their goal, despite having no stake in the future of the club. With this success, friend and entrepreneur, Claus Meyer (Founder of the world famous Noma restaurant in Copenhagen), approached Niels about collaboratively opening a jazz club that was at the intersection of Danish Jazz Heritage and New Nordic Cuisine. From this friendship and proposition, Niels moved back to Copenhagen in 2013 and The Standard Jazz Club was born. Running until Jan 2017, the venue featured marquee performance runs from legendary acts 300 nights a year.
TEDx TALK & INSPIRATION
Niels’ was asked in 2016 to participate in the TEDx Conference and produced the speech “How Jazz Wisdom Will Change Your Life.”
Since then, Niels has been asked to speak and perform at various public and corporate engagements as an artist, a philosopher and a visionary to Jazz and improvisational learnings applied to life. Notable engagements have included the 2018 Folkemødet Conference on Bornholm for QVARTZ consulting as well as an Innovation Conference on behalf of Coloplast.
THE STORYTELLER - IMPROVISATION & JAZZ TRANSCRIPTION BOOKS
Any conversation is a form of jazz. It is done in a language that everyone understands. One says something that causes the other to respond, which in turn causes others to react with new contributions to the conversation. And although the subject is fixed, one can easily end up somewhere else, get a new revelation and forget about the time. It is a creative process where you balance knowledge, initiative, collaboration, resistance, provocation - conversation is improvisation. For this reason, Niels authored the book “Improvisation: In Music, In Work and at Home” (2015) - currently available only in Danish language e-book and audiobook.
Niels has also written the book “Jazz Transcription: Developing Jazz Improvisational Skills Through Solo Transcription and Analysis” (1992)
