Takashi Kako | |
---|---|
Born | Osaka, Japan | 31 January 1947
Genres | Jazz, Classical music, Contemporary classical music |
Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
Instrument(s) | Piano |
Labels | America, Trio |
Website | Takashi Kako Official Site |
Takashi Kako (加古 隆, Kako Takashi) (born 31 January 1947) is a Japanese pianist and composer, who works in both jazz and art-music idioms.
Kako was born in Osaka. He began playing piano at eight years old and learned to play jazz while in his teens.[citation needed]
He attended the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music, receiving both his bachelor's (1965-1969) and master's in composition (1971) there.[1] Upon graduating, he matriculated at the Paris Conservatoire, where he studied composition under Olivier Messiaen; concurrently, he played jazz in clubs, beginning a long-term association with Kent Carter and Oliver Johnson as a trio. He played with Noah Howard, Masahiko Togashi, and Steve Lacy in the 1970s, and with Togashi again as a duo in the early 1980s. Starting in the mid-1980s, he increasingly moved toward playing solo piano, although he occasionally toured with ensembles as well.
In addition to his performance career, Kako has worked extensively as a composer. He has written scores for traditional ensembles and for film and television, including the 1998 film The Quarry.
(with Bob Reid, Boulou Ferré, Glenn Spearman, Sabu Toyozumi)