With 2021's subtly innovative
Spacelab & Strings, Danish pianist
Nikolaj Hess deftly pushes the boundaries of his sophisticated jazz and classical sound. A nuanced improviser with deep classical chops,
Hess has earned plaudits for his textural, harmonically rich approach to modern post-bop jazz. He's also moved outside of jazz, supplying the score for indie films like
Lars Von Trier's acclaimed Melancholia. However, it is with his
Spacelab trio featuring his brother
Mikkel Hess on drums and
Anders Christensen on bass, that he has focused most of his bold creativity. For
Spacelab & Strings,
Hess brings all of his broad orchestral and improvisational experience to the table, augmenting his trio with a string quartet featuring several longtime associates, including violinist and co-producer Cæcilie Balling, violinist Christian Ellegård, violist Jakup Lützen, and cellist
Josefine Opsahl. There is a long tradition of orchestral jazz albums (
Miles Davis'
Sketches of Spain comes to mind). That said, few jazz albums so perfectly intertwine the classical side with the jazz improv side as
Hess does on here. His compositions sound like classical arrangements, marked by the crisp phonic shimmer of his string quartet. Often, it's only the woody lines of bassist
Christensen that hint at the organic jazz trio underpinning each track.
Hess builds many of his arrangements slowly, as on the moody "Piece," in which
Christensen plays a lonely refrain against a chilly string sunrise before the whole ensemble joins in with thick chordal harmonies as if they are all one giant piano player. Similarly, on "Ravel Reflections," he evokes the sun-dappled impressionism of French composer
Maurice Ravel, crafting a spritely dance that moves back and forth between a dew-bright string section and dusky jazz trio. Elsewhere, as on "Adagio,"
Hess solos delicately against the hushed whisper of his string quartet, his playfully tumbling lines evoking the influence of
Bill Evans. 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. ~ Matt Collar