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Hess Is More is essentially the project of Denmark's Mikkel Hess, a composer and multi-instrumentalist who combines elements of jazz, electronica, Scandinavian folk, soundtrack music, and classic pop with a playfully melodic and decidedly humorous sensibility. The product of a musical family from Copenhagen -- Mikkel's brother Nikolaj Hess, a well-established jazz pianist, is a regular member of his live band, while another brother, saxophonist Emil, several cousins, and even his parents have also been frequent collaborators -- Hess got his first drum kit at the age of seven. He went on to attend Copenhagen's Rhythmic Music Conservatory, studying with jazz legend Ed Thigpen, among others, and graduating in 2002. While maintaining an active career as a jazz drummer, Hess also began working as a composer for several major Danish film, theater, and television outlets. The first Hess Is More album was actually a score he composed for a production of The Wind in the Willows, first released...