Daigo Nakai

is an improvising musician/bass player, has moved to Berlin from Australia.  In 2003, Nakai left Japan where he was born, and went to live in Melbourne where he began to play double bass and studied Performing Art/Music. After he gained bachelor degree of Applied Music, he has worked with musicians based in Australia, including Mark Lockett, Paul Van Ross, Leigh Fisher, Melbourne based group Captain Apples, Miss Colombia as well as Ade Ishs Trio, and released several recordings with them. Since the end of 2014, he has based his activity in Berlin and performing throughout in Europe. Currently he focuses on modern approach of playing bass for unconventional improvisation in his own/his musical partners’ compositions particularly in the project Here Comes A Bear which the band recorded the first album in 2019. The approach of his bass line allows the music to be free, boundless and not limited in certain genres and forms. ​ Since 2021, He has joined the band Mitsune, performing modern/traditional Japanese music mixed with jazz, rock and the other world folk music, and has played in festivals and music venues in Europe, England and U.S.A. ​ In 2022, Nakai released live recording album titled Licentia Poetica, which captured free improvisation in a festival, Gdanskie Noce Jazsowe in Poland alongside Elma Kais, Knox Chandler, Klaus Kugel. The Album has gained acclaimed reviews throughout in Poland's jazz magazines and media.  On the other hand, he has been working as a demanded bass player in Berlin’s Jazz scene, recording as a session musician, and appearing in many host bands, ensembles and collaborations. He has shared stages, and recorded with musicians such as Antonello Marafioti, Antonio Bravo, Band TAU, Chikara Aoshima, Craig Holiday Haynes, Damo Suziki, Derick Grant, Earl Harvin, Kelvin Sholar, Klaus Kugel, Knox Chandler, Lionel Haas, Lynelle Jonsson, Rieko Okuda, Thibault Falk, Thomas Wadelton, Tommaso Vespo to name a few. He has been invited to perform in Festivals and concerts as well as independently curated events including The Bundestag, Les Rencontres Trans Musicales, MÓZG festival etc, performing Jazz, free improvisation, Electronic music, Rock, Folk and so on. His unique style of playing bass is obtained from his life experience in different countries and diverse range of music influence such as old and modern jazz, Cuban music, classical music, punk rock, hip-hop and the other 90’s music.