Rejoicer and Nitai Hershkovits Unveil Cinema Royal — A Mesmerizing Fusion of Jazz, Ambient, and Cinematic Soundscapes

Longtime collaborators Rejoicer and pianist Nitai Hershkovits have come together under a new moniker to present Cinema Royal, an album that feels as much like a film score as it does a meditation on sound itself. Released through their trusted creative circle, the project represents a bold yet delicate exploration of musical storytelling—where modern classical sensibilities meet ambient textures, global instrumentation, and jazz-infused improvisation.

Built around Nitai’s expressive piano work, Cinema Royal unfolds like a dream sequence—filled with percussive bursts, orchestral flourishes, and traditional string instruments from across continents. The compositions weave Afrobeat rhythms, East Asian zithers, and Ethio-jazz keys into a seamless soundscape that feels both organic and otherworldly. While intricate in structure, the album maintains a surprising effortlessness—each piece floating by with cinematic grace and quiet confidence.

The duo’s creative chemistry, honed through years of friendship and musical partnership in projects like Apifera and beyond, lies at the heart of this record. Their process began with something simple: a drum loop and a single-take piano improvisation. From there, Cinema Royal blossomed into a multi-dimensional sound collage, inviting contributions from friends and collaborators who enriched the music’s texture and emotional depth.

“Cinema Royal emerges from years of collaborative writing and recording,” shares Hershkovits. “Our first experience with a complete one-piano take on a drum loop was in Flying Bamboo—a project with MNDSGN and animator Felix Colgrave that reached millions on YouTube. Nearly a decade later, we revisited this improvisational method throughout the album. We love Emahoy Tsegué, Ennio Morricone, Nino Rota, Lalo Schifrin—and a lot of the ECM catalog. There’s a lot of Africa, too—Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas, Fela Kuti, Ghana highlife, and sounds from Awesome Tapes from Africa.”

The result is a record that whispers rather than shouts. Cinema Royal is cinematic not only in sound but in feeling—each track conjuring a scene, a mood, a fleeting moment of beauty. It’s the sound of two artists in flow, creating something at once playful and profound, rooted in global traditions yet entirely timeless.