Who is Tak?

Tak Arikushi plays Gypsy-jazz music with a Japanese twist: he fuses the red-hot swing rhythms of Django Reinhardt with rhapsodic Japanese melodies both traditional and contemporary. The music is an exploration of the crossroads of American jazz and Japanese culture, and the historic exchange between the two. His accolades include sharing the stage with Gypsy-jazz giant Stephane Wrembel, featuring on the soundtrack of top-selling video game Cuphead: Delicious Last Course, and being band of choice for Rush bassist Geddy Lee’s family event. Inventive arrangements with the acoustic string-swing instrumentation are played with virtuosity and passion for a sound that will have you tapping your toe and simultaneously contemplating zen.