Welcome to the official website of Mathias Heise, Danish jazz harmonica player, keyboardist, composer, and arranger.
Flux – Mathias Heise’s and accordeonist Bjarke Mogensen’s first album
“With instruments that rarely converge, two geniuses make everything soar. The new album from a duo who playfully explore jazz and classical origins is excellent. ”
Thomas Michelsen, Politiken
Mouth Games – Mathias Heise’s first acoustic album
Mathias Heise Quintet:
Mathias Heise (harmonica), Jacob Christoffersen (piano), Pelle von Bülow (guitar), Thomas Fonnesbæk (bass) and Jeppe Gram (drums)
Read more about Mouth Games | Listen to Mouth Games
Variations of Equilibrism
(review of Mouth Games – pdf in Danish)
Mathias Heise is one of the world’s leading harmonica players. He was born in 1993 in Rødovre, just outside Copenhagen, Denmark, and started playing harmonica at the age of seven. A few years later he also took up piano and keyboards.
Albums
So far, Mathias Heise has released five albums in his own name.
With Mathias Heise Quintet:
Mouth Games(2023)
With Mathias Heise Quadrillion:
Quadrillion (2022)
Decadence (2017)
Sudden Ascent (2015)
With DR Big Band:
The Beast (2018)
Awards
2013: Chromatic Harmonica World Championship, Trossingen, Germany.
2015: New Jazz Star of The Year, Denmark.
2015: Mathias Heise Quadrillion nominated ‘Best New Jazz Act’ at Danish Music Awards.
2016: The Danish Crown Prince Couple’s Stardust Award – an award that is given to honor and highlight young Danish artists about to make an international break-through.
2017: The Ben Webster Prize, as the youngest recipient ever.
2018: The Danish Arts Foundation’s award presented to artists “who have created a work of particularly high artistic quality” (for his album with DR Big Band The Beast).
2019: The Beast nominated ‘Best Album’ at Danish Jazz Awards.
2019: The Hartmann Diploma-Prize awarded to younger persons who are “expected to contribute to a continuously positive development of the Danish society”.
Selected discography as a sideman
| A Tribute to Paco de Lucia | Flamenco Passion | 2023 |
| Album for Astor | Bjarke Mogensen | 2022 |
| Dreamcatcher 3.0 | Dreamcatcher 3.0 | 2021 |
| What If? | Kristin Korb | 2021 |
| Swan Songs | Jørgen Emborg | 2020 |
| Æ | Anton Eger | 2019 |
| Natsværmeri | Bent Fabricius-Bjerre & Livestrings | 2018 |
| What’s Left | Jørgen Emborg Quartet | 2017 |
| Cleo and friends | Georg Wadenius | 2016 |
| Star Eyes | Morten Elbek | 2016 |
| Out Of The White | Martin Fabricius Trio | 2014 |
Mathias Heise is nothing short of fantastic.
As a musician, as a composer, as an arranger and as an entertainer.
– Henrik Palle, Politiken
Mathias Heise is a true virtuoso on his instrument.
– Kenth K. Nielsen, bibzoom.dk
Heise may be the world’s best jazz musician on the chromatic harmonica.
– Henrik Palle, Politiken
Mathias Heise is utterly unique on his chromatic harmonica.
– Ivan Rod, Gaffa
Listen up! You have never heard anyone play the harmonica like this guy. Mathias Heise is breathing new life into Danish jazz.
– Finn Frandsen, Heidi Skibsted and Aske Hald Knudstrup, Politiken
Harmonica virtuoso Mathias Heise,
one of the greatest talents in Danish jazz in many years.
– Niels Overgård, Jazznyt.com
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