Aki Takase
was born in Osaka and studied music in Tokyo / Japan. From 1981 she gave concerts and recorded in the USA and Japan with Lester Bowie, Joe Henderson, John Zorn and others. In 1981 she gave her first European concert at the Berlin Jazz Festival. From 1988 with Alexander von Schlippenbach with the Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, also in a duo with Maria Joao. From 1994-1996 as a lecturer in the music department of the Berlin University of the Arts and from 1997-2000 a visiting professorship at the “Hans Eisler University of Music” in the subjects of piano and ensemble playing.

She plays concerts or records worldwide with Schlippenbach, David Murray, Rudi Mahall, Louis Sclavis, Daniel Erdmann and more. LOK.03” with von Schlippenbach and DJIIIVibe. “Fats Waller” project with Eugene Chadbourne, Nils Wogram, Rudi Mahall and Paul Lovens, or “Sound and Texts” with the writer Yoko Tawada, “The City in the Piano” with the dancer Yui Kawaguchi. Their new group “Japanic” with Daniel Erdmann, DJlllVibe, Carlos Bica, Dag Magnus Narvesen, as well as H.A.L Trio with Han Bennink and Louis Sclavis. “Carmen Rhapsody” with Mayumi Nakamura, Vincent Courtois and Daniel Erdmann.

2023 “Carmen Rhapsody” The CD was released in February by BMC Records. 2023 “AAPD” Duo” with Alexander von schlippenbach (Four Hands Piano Pieces) CD and LP were released in May by Trost Records. 2024 “ELLINGTON” with Daniel Erdmann was released in March by enja Records. 2024 Japanese “FORTE” will be released in April on BMC Records.

Takase was included in the quarterly lists of the German Record Critics' Prize eight times (1989-2017). In 2004 she was awarded the German Record Critics' Annual Prize for her CD "Aki Takase plays Fats Waller". She was awarded the Berliner Zeitung Critics' Prize in 1999 and the SWR Jazz Prize in 2002. In 2018 she was awarded the Berlin Jazz Prize. In 2021 the German Jazz Prize and the Albert Mangelsdorff Prize were awarded.