Nitai Hershkovits

Life and music

Born in Israel to a Moroccan mother and a Polish father, Hershkovits started playing the clarinet at age 12, only to discover his love for the piano at age 15. Around that time, he was first exposed to the sound of jazz giants such as Wynton Kelly and Sonny Clark.

By the time he was 17, Hershkovits 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. He soon became interested in a rich variety of both classical and jazz music.

Hershkovits also studied classical music and theory for two years with well-known Israeli composer and educator Dr. Menahem Weisenberg and classical music educators Shoshana Cohen and Amir Pedorovits.

Hershkovits has performed and collaborated with many noted artists, among them- Jorge Rossy, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Greg Tardy, Ari Hoenig, Charles Davis, Mark Guiliana, Zohar Fresco, Steve Davis, Diego Urcola and Robert Sadin. He has also recorded for Daniel Zamir's Redemption Songs (John Zorn's Tzadik), "One" (Hatav Hashmini), for flutist Ilan Salem's album Wild(Razdaz), in 2011, and for Avi Lebovich's 2013 album Volcano. Nitai can also be heard on Layerz's "Things On Top of Each Other" (Raw Tapes/2014), featured artist on "All Original" (Razdaz/2014) and Sprouts' "Sprouts" (Indie/2013).

Hershkovits was awarded the highest scholarship given by the Israel-American Music Foundation (AICF) four years in a row between 2004 and 2010.

Another highlight was his onetime prestigious Chase Scholarship award in 2009 sponsoring a B.A. degree at the Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music.

He has had the privilege of touring all over the world and performing at many different venues: Salle Pleyel, Vienna Konzerthaus, l'Olympia, Alter Oper, North Sea Jazz Festival, Antibes Jazz Festival, Jazz à Vienne, Montreux Jazz Festival, Barbican Center and Tonhalle, to name but a few.

Hershkovits has been collaborating with internationally acclaimed bassist and composer Avishai Cohen. Cohen released Duende (EMI/Blue Note) in May 2012. Hershkovits joined Cohen on the piano in this duet album and in the arrangement of two of the tracks. In November 2013, the album Almah (EMI/Parlophone) was released, featuring a string quartet and an oboe. The latest trio recording, From Darkness, was released in February 2015.

Hershkovits' debut album I Asked You A Question (Raw Tapes) was released in February 2016. The album, co-produced by Rejoicer, featuring Hershkovits on vocals, piano and synths. Los Angeles based singer Georgia Anne Muldrow and guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel joins Hershkovits on two of the tracks ("Satellite Dish" & "My Turn" respectively).

Exploring the realm of analog electronics, samples and beats, I Asked You A Question is an eclectic, empirical yet genuine attempt of blending improvised ideas and through-composed music.

Quotes

"Hershkovits tänzelt mit der Eleganz eines Fred Astaire und dem melancholischen Witz eines Charlie Chaplin über die Tasten." (Cem Akalin, Generalanzeiger Bonn, January 19, 2015)

"The remarkable 24-year-old Tel Aviv pianist Nitai Hershkovits, is a reminiscent of a silky-toned old piano swinger such as the late Hank Jones" (John Fordham, The Guardian)

"Nitai's show was the last one out of three at the Israeli Piano Festival. How wonderful was it to discover his unique sound among all the others. He played his own compositions- very original and beautiful pieces. As part of his affection for the music of Thelonious Monk, he played a fantastic and full-of-humour version of Pannonica- which probably would get Monk's approval on the spot!“ (Ben Shalev)

"Hershkovits is a genuine prodigy – still only in his mid-20s but already playing with relaxed authority" (BBC Music)

"An album of infinite wealth which starts, with a (mini) fanfare, the solo career of a young man to keep your eyes on" (Mathieu Durand, Jazznews on I Asked You A Question)

"The album is a wonderfully thoughtful collection of tunes that is refreshingly different to much else on offer" (Andy Hazell, UK Vibe Magazine on I Asked You A Question)

"Nitai's playing and musicianship has never stopped evolving over the years: he has the soul of a man with experience but is in the body of a 27 year old boy! His technical skills are mind-blowing, but this is nothing compared to his expressive capabilities and he doesn’t take the easy way. He belongs with those musicians who express themselves deeply through their art." (Avishai Cohen)

Discography

As a leader:

As a sideman: