Nitai Hershkovits - New Place Always (2018) [Hi-Res]

Pianist and composer Nitai Hershkovits has been described as a ‘Genuine prodigy’ by BBC music. He is a charismatic performer with an incredibly strong voice and musical vision. His dynamic playing crosses boundaries and genres thanks to a light, elegant touch that conveys a full spectrum of deep emotions and contrasts. As a solo artist, Nitai Hershkovits’ repertoire consists mainly of original work written for piano, giving space for interpretation. Nitai started playing the clarinet at the age of twelve, only to discover his love for the piano at age fifteen. Around that time, he was first exposed to the sound of jazz giants such as Wynton Kelly and Sonny Clark. By the age of seventeen, Nitai had moved to Tel Aviv to combine regular school with private music and piano lessons under the guidance of jazz educators Amit Golan and Yuval Cohen. In 2011, Nitai joined bassist Avishai Cohen’s group. As part of Cohen’s Trio as well as of other symphonic projects, they recorded three albums together.

In 2016 Nitai relocated to New York City and is keeping a busy schedule, touring and recording. New Place Always is a collection of melodies that have resonated through time, long enough to evoke a sense of folkloric familiarity. Nitai writes: “Before the recording, I had all kinds of ideas, but we wanted the music to fit the piano and the room, so I wrote most of it there. The rest of the tunes consist of songs that were composed in NY and hand-picked renditions of music by people who inspired me at that time. Even though it has been 17 years since I took my first Piano lesson, its’ familiarity doesn’t reveal itself fully-- it is almost like coming back to a place I've visited before, yet have never been to.”

Nitai Hershkovits, piano