Kazuki Takemura is a New York–based bassist and composer originally from Ehime, Japan. He has performed with Matt Wilson, Jeff Lederer, Steve Wilson, Miki Yamanaka, Joel Frahm, Gary Versace, Kirk Knuffke, Itamar Borochov, Randy Napoleon, Leroy Williams, Luis Bonilla, Wessell “Warmdaddy” Anderson, Rick Roe, Takuya Kuroda, Davis Whitfield, Caleb Wheeler Curtis, and many others.

He has appeared at the Detroit Jazz Festival, Bar Bayeux, Ornithology, Cellar Dog, the Bitter End, the Jazz Education Network (JEN) Conference, Fox 2 News, and Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, among other venues and events.

In addition to being an in-demand sideman, Takemura leads his own group and performs regularly throughout New York City.

Takemura began playing music at the age of 15, developing what became a lifelong passion. He studied with Kosuke Inoue and David Wong while performing in the Osaka/Kobe area. In 2017, he moved to Michigan, where he earned a Performance Diploma at Michigan State University under Rodney Whitaker and a Master of Music degree at Western Michigan University with John Hébert.

He currently serves as an adjunct professor at Long Island University, where he teaches bass and coaches jazz ensembles.