Niels Lan Doky explores the world of jazz, but it would be a difficult task to determine whether he guides his piano or vice versa. The two unite into a single entity as he evokes sounds from his instrument while the piano reaches into him to bring forth renewed inspiration. Niels approaches modern jazz like a pioneer, rarely retracing his steps, producing music with a texture of expression that appeals to a broad range of fans. Critics have reveled at his use of bold articulate phrasing to deliver the harmony and melody that have become his signature on the jazz piano. The styling, sound and arrangements are always daring, but with a personal touch that underlines emotion in the music.

His latest album Asian Sessions (Emarcy/Universal) boldly approaches the mystery of Vietnamese and Chinese music to fuse it with contemporary jazz. The set marks a continuation of its predecessor, Niels Lan Doky, which merged popular tunes with his innovative piano.

Niels learned his art from the masters. While living in Denmark as the leader of the Danish Radio Band, the renowned trumpeter Thad Jones took Niels under his wing. He urged his 17-year-old protégé to attend the Berklee College of Music, where Niels graduated with honors. From there he moved to New York City and forged a reputation in the mean streets of the clubs there, playing with jazz leaders such as Joe Henderson, Clark Terry, Charlie Haden, Ray Brown, David Sanborn and Woody Shaw.

In 1986 he made his recording debut with Here and There. The set launched him as a sought after soloist and accompanist. On the works to follow Niels features as a leader or sideman with a broad and varied range of musicians including Jack DeJohnette, Al Jarreau, John Scofield, Michael Brecker, Gino Vannelli and Toots Thielemans.

In 1995 Niels formed the Doky Brothers with his brother Chris Minh Doky. With Chris on bass and Niels at the keyboard, the pair recorded two internationally acclaimed records for Blue Note. The recordings reinforced his position as the most influential jazz pianist in Denmark, and a player on the global stage. Niels is the only jazz pianist to crossover and top the pop charts, and the only producer to win gold at home.

Even the Danish royal family has given Niels a singular nod of distinction, after he composed the score for a TV documentary about Queen Margrethe II in 1994. The queen would add to this recognition a year later when she visited South Africa and presented Niels' Misty Dawn to President Nelson Mandela.

Niels Lan Doky is the Danish piano player of his generation. His accomplishments are rooted in the love for music that his father - a classical guitarist - and mother - a successful contemporary vocalist - instilled in him at an early age. Although he started out as a guitarist, Niels - luckily - switched over to the piano at the age of 11 after hearing Scott Joplin's compositions in the film, The Sting. From that point, the journey of exploration began.

A Musical Marco Polo
Fusion of styles and cultures have been attempted before, but the haunting mystery of Asian music remains a vast and largely unexplored territory. With his new album, Asian Sessions, Niels Lan Doky reaches across oceans to unite the enigma of Eastern melody with the bracing edge of contemporary jazz.

"There is a certain richness in the music of Vietnam and China. I wanted to incorporate these elements into my music. It's like adding new spices to give a dish new flair," Niels says.

The compositions on the new set reflect a continuance of the musical styling - the integration of another genre into a jazz framework - that Niels set in his selt-titled previous album. Niels Lan Doky (Verve-Forecast) explored the depths of classic and current popular hits, showing how innovation can add new dimension to familiar songs.

This time Niels wraps Vietnamese and Chinese musical elements into the melodies to highlight his personal piano style. The harmonious blend of ancient and the new, the familiar and the remote, give the new compositions a swirl of world-music flavor.

"This was a big step into uncharted musical waters. Lots of things revolve around what happens in Asia, economic trends for one, and it's a region of growing importance. I attempted to reflect that in my music."

Asian Sessions features Niels' touring band - Lars Danielsson, acoustic bass; Jeff Boudreaux, drums; and Xavier Desandre-Navarre, percussion - who were also the players on his previous outing. Drummer Paul Wertico, known throughout the world of jazz as a long-standing member of the Pat Metheny Group, contributes his talents on half of the tracks. To complement the band, Niels recruited The China National Traditional Orchestra, the exceptional Vietnamese female vocalist Thanh Lam, and a broad range of musicians playing traditional Vietnamese and Chinese instruments.

Much of the material consists of original Doky compositions, supplemented with a few, exhilarating interpretations of Chinese or Vietnamese folk songs. Niels wrote some of the tracks together with his Asian guests. Thanh Lam wrote the Vietnamese lyrics to Niels' stirring composition "Bien Cuoi" and the Vietnamese producer/keyboard player Quoc Trung co-arranged an enchanting version of the Vietnamese  folk melody, "Mot Thoang Tây Hô", with him.

Niels' family tree has half of its roots in Denmark and the other half in Vietnam, with a link to China. While he had been toying with the idea of merging Asian sounds into his music, a trip to China and Vietnam in 1998 provided the real inspiration for the new collection. Like Marco Polo, he returned home with totally new concepts.

"When I began working with the Vietnamese musicians in the pre-production phase, I realized that their music and mine had a lot in common - much more than I had expected. It must come from my Vietnamese genes!"

Asian Sessions was recorded in Hanoi, Beijing, Paris, Copenhagen and Gothenburg. The Vietnamese guest artists come primarily from the world of pop and folk music, while the Chinese musicians have a background in classical music. The masterful assimilation of a variety of styles and moods casts a distinctive world-music edge to the jazz piano arrangements that have earned Niels his reputation in the realm of jazz.

The track, "Dreaming With Open Eyes", opens with an exotic orchestral overture. The departure cuts you adrift, into the uncharted waters of fantasy, until the central piano theme then coaxes you back to the harbor of the mind.

It stimulates the imagination, fantasy, by piquing interests, but doesn't attempt to answer questions. The listener has to complete the circle.

"Against All Odds", a song made popular by Phil Collins, is a direct link to Niels' previous album, but the addition of traditional Vietnamese instruments sparks a new mood. Ironically, it's the most jazz-sounding piece of the set, despite its pop roots.

In a fusion of the integral elements of jazz with the Ca Tru-an 11th century style of Vietnamese folk music - vocalist Thanh Lam interprets " Mot Thoang Tây Hô" to relate an image of a foggy sunrise at a lake in Hanoi. She sings an octave or so lower that what is normally associated with Vietnamese music and it doesn't matter if you understand the lyrics or not. Jazz assimilates perfectly with the Vietnamese instrumentation/vocal, and vice versa, to give the listener a melancholic longing for the homeland, wherever that may be.

Each of the nine tracks on Asian Sessions opens doors to a labyrinth of emotions and moods. Niels Lan Doky's piano leads you into it and guides you out again while all the musicians on the set add enjoyment along the way.

Charles Ferro (regular contributor to Billboard magazine)/August 1999.