Niels Lan Doky

Niels Lan Doky ( born October 3, 1963 in Copenhagen ) is a Danish jazz pianist.

Doky, the son of a Vietnamese guitarist and a Danish singer was at the age of fifteen years by Ernie Wilkins and Thad Jones, head of the Danish Radio Big Band, promoted. This encouraged him to go to the United States, where he attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston from 1981 to 1984. He then moved to New York City, where he was a member of the jazz scene was fast and with musicians such as Joe Henderson, Clark Terry, Charlie Haden, Ray Brown, David Sanborn, Woody Shaw, Jack DeJohnette, Al Jarreau, John Scofield, Michael and Randy Brecker, and Toots Thielemans worked.

In 1986 with Here and There his first album as a leader, the more than twenty others followed. He also brought out numerous albums as a producer. Since 1989, Doky lives in Paris. In 1994 he composed the soundtrack for a documentary about the Danish Queen Margrethe II. 1995 he took Chris Minh Doky with his brother as Doky Brothers recorded two albums for the label Blue Note.

A trip to China and Vietnam resulted in a return to his Asian roots; in Hanoi, Beijing, Paris, Copenhagen and Gothenburg his album Asian sessions with the singer Thanh Lam was taken. In December 2000, he performed with Gino Vannelli before Pope John Paul II in an audience, which was televised worldwide. 2002 was developed in Denmark under the choreographer Birgitte Bauer- Nilsen the dance performance, the butterfly.

Doky is the most successful jazz pianist in Denmark. He was awarded by the Danish royal family and in 2002 won for the album Casa Dolce Casa and 2003 for the album Spain Golden Disc - Seal of Approval Award. In 2005 he made ​​his debut as a filmmaker with Between a Smile and a Tear, a documentary about Copenhagen's legendary jazz club Montmartre Jazzhus.