Takashi Kako; A Single Drop of Water in a Mighty River (大河の一滴), Franco Di Nitto, Pianist Recording : Nagra Professional Audio systems Piano : Yamaha Recorded at the great hall of the conservatory of Hasselt (Belgium) 21/06/2010 Takashi KAKO About the Artist In many different countries, it is often said that Kako is a "painter of the piano" because his audiences often visualize images and landscapes as they listen to his music. He was trained in classical music from an early age, and after graduating from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts, he went to France on a scholarship from the French government to study at the Paris Conservatory with Olivier Messiaen, leading to a career as a composer of contemporary music. Nevertheless, while he was in France he also became deeply involved with the improvisational forms of free jazz, and this has given his music a sense of traversing varied terrains. " . . . Beautiful melodies and harmonies rooted in classical traditions . . ." ". . . Novel sensitivities of contemporary music . . ." ". . . Rhythms and improvisations of jazz . . ." - when these various descriptions are all put together, it becomes clear that Kako's music is a style unto itself which transcends the standard genres. [Growing Up] Takashi Kako, an aquarius, was born on January 31, 1947. His first introduction to the world of music was a recording of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony conducted by Toscanini. "When I listened to this piece," he has said, "my mind conjured up a multitude of impressions; I saw images of nature." Upon the strong recommendation of his elementary school music teacher, who recognized his potential, Kako began taking piano lessons from the age of seven and immersed himself in the sounds of countless classical albums. He became intrigued by twentieth century music in junior high school when he discovered Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite,""Petrouchka" and "The Rite of Spring," the three most famous ballet suites by Stravinsky. An Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers show he attended while in high school made such an impact on him that he "felt (his) entire body quiver as the first note was played". The fusion of classical music, twentieth century music and jazz constitute the three fundamental elements of Kako's musical core. [The French Years] In 1965, Kako enrolled at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts. Although at one point he contemplated pursuing a career as a jazz pianist, in the end he decided to follow in the steps of his mentors, Tomojiro Ikeno-uchi and Akira Miyoshi, and become a composer of twentieth century music, thereby making a conscious decision to distance himself from jazz. In 1970, Kako won a prize for composition at the NHK Mainichi Music Competition. Upon completing graduate school, Kako left for France on a scholarship from the French Government and enrolled in the Paris Conservatory, where he studied musical composition under Olivier Messiaen, one of the great masters of twentieth century music. Kako gained a substantial reputation during his years at the Conservatory, and during this period his composition, "A Chapter For The Orchestra," was played by the Paris Conservatory Orchestra and his piece "Quartet" was aired on National French Radio. It was during these years as a scholarship student in France that Kako discovered free jazz at the height of its glory, and he remembers this movement as ". . . a world of improvisation where composition and performance were executed simultaneously." In 1973, Kako made his debut as a pianist of the free jazz movement, and soon Kako's piano performances led to critics to praise him as ". . . without a doubt the finest pianist in France . . ." (Jazz Magazine, France). " For the first time," he said, "I was both composer and performer, manifesting both aspects simultaneously." This period became a major turning point in Kako's musical career as he collaborated with artists such as Steve Lacy, Albert Mangelsdorf, and Masahiko Togashi, while establishing friendly relationships with Anthony Braxton, Joachim Kyuun, and Daniel Jumehlle. The Music Festivals at Avignion (France) and Merth (Germany) are among the many he has participated in. It was about this time he formed the group TOK.* In 1979, TOK's album, "Paradox," was released on worldwide distribution by ECM Germany. The same winter, Kako chanced on an opportunity for a solo piano recital in Cannes, a town located in northern France --(Note: is this spelled the same as Cannes in southern France?)--. He stepped in for a pianist whose flight was turned back due to a snowstorm. "This was my first solo piano recital," he later recalled, "and I felt a sense of what was to come later on." Extensive touring throughout Europe meant that Kako attended fewer and fewer of Messiaen's classes, but he was still honored with the Premier Prix (a unanimous decision by the judging panelists) on his graduation from the Paris Conservatory in 1976.** [Return to Japan] Ka