Pianist and composer Nikolaj Hess is a sophisticated, boundary-pushing artist with a sound that straddles modern classical, post-bop, and European jazz traditions. He has recorded numerous critically lauded albums like 2009's The Champ with his Spacelab trio, 2010's Global Motion with saxophonist Marc Mommaas, and 2013's Danish Music Award-nominated Trio with bassist Tony Scherr and drummer Kenny Wollesen. Hess has also composed for film, scoring Lars von Trier's Melancholia. In 2021, he brought all of his vast interests together on his expansive and textural chamber jazz album Spacelab & Strings.