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Japanese pianist and composer Aki Takase will perform for the first time at the CRR Concert Hall in Istanbul with her Japanese quintet on Oct. 21.
Takase received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the German Jazz Awards (Deutscher Jazzpreis) in April 2026.
Her ensemble features a turntable alongside piano and saxophone, with all three adding to the group’s improvisations.
Takase trained as a classical pianist at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo before turning to jazz.
She gave her first European concert in 1981 at the Berlin Philharmonie as part of the Berlin Jazz Festival.
She has worked with musicians including David Murray and Fred Frith and has reinterpreted the music of Fats Waller and Thelonious Monk in her own piano style.
The quintet, which has gained international recognition with the albums "Thema Prima" and "Forte," includes saxophonist Daniel Erdmann, known for his work with Das Kapital and Velvet Revolution.
DJ Illvibe (Vincent von Schlippenbach) brings his background in hip-hop and music production to the project. Double bassist Johannes Fink, who has played with Lee Konitz and Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Norwegian drummer Dag Magnus Narvesen complete the lineup.
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