Takashi Kako
Early life. Kako was born in Osaka. He began playing piano at eight years old and learned to play jazz while in his teens. Later life and career. He attended the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music, receiving both his bachelor's (1965-1969) and master's in composition (1971) there. 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".