The New York-Based Neo-Classical Cinematic Pianist Doeke Shares Delicate, Dreamy, and Nostalgic Album ‘Herriner’
December 16, 2022 BY Jason Currell
Doeke (Jorn Swart), the New York-based poignant neo-classical pianist delivers his elegant, delicate, intricate, and vulnerable new full-length album, Herinner. Herinner is a continued exploration of Doeke’s signature dreamy and gentle piano playing with sonic reflection of stories from the past, present, and future. It’s about nostalgia, home, and the strange details we remember from childhood, allowing the music to transport you to another time and place. “Doeke was my grandfather’s first name,” says Jorn. “He played the accordion, which inspired me to pick up that instrument as a kid, and later led me to the piano. All the song titles are in Dutch, and many of the compositions are inspired by memories from the Netherlands.” Inviting listeners from all over the world, Swart creates comfort in melodic nostalgia as he shows his remarkable skills on the piano. Doeke will be performing Herinner in its entirety on a special YouTube livestream December 16 at 2PM EST- watch HERE.
“You know how a certain smell can suddenly evoke something that happened a long time ago, something you thought you’d forgotten, and you become instantly overcome with the same feeling you had back then? Music can also send you on these fleeting time travels and the songs on this album capture such transient visceral experiences. Though these recollections are deeply personal for me, music can transcend this and transform the particular into the universal. Music allows us to collectively experience the most powerful human states of being — nostalgia, joy, melancholy, reflection, excitement — and take comfort in knowing we all feel this way sometimes. Herinner is about these little moments that can seem insignificant, but still endure. It invites the listeners to join and embrace the nostalgic,” shares Jorn.
Herinner is available at all digital retailers here: https://doeke.ffm.to/herinner
WATCH “TIJDREIZEN (TIME TRAVEL)” WATCH
WATCH “OP IJS (ON THE ICE)” WATCH
ABOUT DOEKE:
Doeke —the brainchild of pianist Jorn Swart — is shaped by a desire to return to simplicity. Swart’s piano compositions invite listeners from all over the world to feel a nostalgia that is both melancholic and comforting. Known for his refined playing and emotive compositions, Jazziz Magazine wrote that Swart has “mastered the art of using a single improvised line to elicit complex emotions.” Swart moved to the USA in 2010 as a Fulbright Scholar to pursue a master’s degree in jazz piano in New York City, where he’s been living and performing ever since. Throughout his career, Swart has been busy not only as a composer and a piano soloist, but also as a bandleader, musical director, and recording artist for other musicians. As he built his name, touring throughout the USA and in Europe and garnering international acclaim, audiences told him that his work sounded like it was telling a story. With Doeke, he leans into this quality — Doeke’s music has the narrative, emotional attributes of a film score.
