The festival hosts a wide variety of musicians from places such as Greece, the United States and Iran, and tonight Japan's Aki Takase will be taking to the stage at the Babylon club.Starting to play the piano at the age of 3, Takase grew up in a musical atmosphere. “For me it was very natural to play the piano,” says Takase in an interview with Today's Zaman. “My mother played the piano as she studied at a music college.”
Born in Osaka and raised in Tokyo, she studied music at Toho Gakuen Music University. She moved to the US in 1978 where she performed and recorded with musicians such as Lester Bowie, David Liebman, John Zorn and others.
Takase relocated to Berlin in 1987, six years after giving an impressive appearance there. “In 1981 I was invited to play at the Berlin Jazz Festival, and there was a great reaction with big applause,” she recalls. As a Japanese pianist, the influence of the first concert was extremely positive. “The differences between Japanese and Germans are [significant]. For instance the German audience showed their emotions more directly. Japanese keep their emotions quietly in their hearts. Of course, I was happy about my success in Europe.”
Takase, 61, says her Japanese background is not deliberately reflected in her music; however, she does not deny her roots. “I am sure that I have had many influences from the Japanese spirit,” she says, “because I was born in Japan and I grew up with a Japanese character. I might be unconsciously expressing that [trait] in my music.”
Needless to say, like many other genres of music, jazz also has some eclectic characteristics today. “Jazz has his roots in the Afro-American culture but is played all over the world today,” explains Takase. “The most important thing is individuality. I think that all great jazz musicians have their own language and own ways [of expressing themselves]. … It does not very much depend on the nationality or the culture [a musician comes from].” she says.
Adding to Takase's reputation was her album “Aki Takase Plays Fats Waller,” which was named the best jazz album in Germany in 2004. “It was a great honor for me to get the award,” says Takase, “because there are some very important composers and musicians in jazz. Fats Waller is one of the [most] wonderful piano players and composers. I thought that his works should not be underestimated in jazz history.”
