Aki Takase

Japanese pianist and composer Aki Takase is among the most versatile figures in contemporary jazz. During the 1970s, she performed with vanguard giants including Lester Bowie and John Zorn. Her debut album, As Time Goes By, appeared in 1979. Other celebrated solo outings have included 1990's Shima Shoka, 2001's Le Cahier du Bal, 2006's Plays Fats Waller, and 2019's Hokusai. Her collaborative recordings include 2014's So Long, Eric!: Homage to Eric Dolphy, 2017's Cherry Sakura with David Murray, and 2019's Kasumi with Ingrid Laubrock. Takase returned with the quartet offering Auge in 2021, and issued the duo set Isn't It Romantic? with Daniel Erdmann in 2022. 2023 brought Four Hands Piano Pieces with pianist husband Alexander von Schlippenbach. In 2024, BBE reissued 1982's Song for Hope by her trio; it had been out of print for nearly four decades.