Danish pianist, composer and producer  More and more young Danish musicians are becoming known on the international jazz scene, and Niels Lan Doky is very much the man to show the way. The son of a Vietnamese father and a Danish mother, he was active in music from an early age, and at 15 was already making his mark as a jazz pianist in the company of two Americans living in Denmark, the saxophonist Ernie Wilkins and the trumpet-player Thad Jones. The latter encouraged the young pianist to visit the USA, where he studied music from 1981-84 at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. He subsequently settled down in New York, where he rapidly got involved in the jazz scene and played with many of the leading musicians of the day. He also began recording under his own name and working as a producer, and was the first Danish jazz musician to effectively promote himself in a professional manner. Niels Lan Doky, with his lightly flowing and highly melodious style of playing, has continued to develop his artistic expression. He performed for some time with his younger brother, bassist Chris Minh Doky, but in recent years he has returned to his own, often concept-based, productions, including "Asian Session", which was inspired by his first visit to Vietnam. He has also performed with the Canadian singer Gino Vannelli and other solo vocalists, as well as with his own group, Trio Montmartre. Niels Lan Doky, who moved to Paris in 1989, is often busy touring the world, but remains quite visible in Denmark, where he created the dance performance "The Butterfly" in 2002 with choreographer Birgitte Bauer-Nilsen. In 2003, he was appointed to the Committee for Music of the Danish Ministry of Culture's new Arts Council. By Kjeld Frandsen Published 2005 This article is provided in cooperation with DR - www.dr.dk/musik/ Læs profilen på dansk på DR´s Musikside.

Niels Lan Doky was born 3 October 1963, Copenhagen. Photo: Robin Skjoldborg. More information and discography at nielslandoky.com