Contemporary jazz, world
JAK Trio
The music of Epirus meets contemporary jazz
Gallery
Photography & Press Assets
JAK Trio
Clarinetist Alexandros Arkadopoulos is considered one of the most influential traditional clarinet soloists in Greece. Pianist Yann Keerim has developed over the past decades a personal sound that reflects both his classical training and his love for jazz and neoclassical improvisation. Percussionist Kostas Meretakis possesses a deep rhythmic language that unites his Thracian roots with the folk traditions of the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean.
The three soloists connect, improvise, and create original suites inspired by emblematic traditional pieces (such as the Epirotic Berati). They bring the Macedonian gaida alongside Erik Satie, and Asia Minor melodies alongside Domenico Scarlatti. They record authentic compositions in tzourtzouna rhythm in the studio.
They share a common understanding of the role that each individually, and all three as an ensemble, must play in the evolution of the music they love — and for this reason, they let the classical piano, the traditional clarinet, and the percussion create a new, fresh sound and a new perspective with traditional music as the starting point.
In this creative process, the visual element has its own distinct and important role. JAK Trio collaborates with Dimitris Mitsiopoulos (Altervision), who translates the relationship between musicians and instruments into visual material, designs the covers for each release, and translates the aesthetics of the music into image.
Norma Music
Live Performance
Line Up
Yann Keerim — Piano
Greek pianist Yann Keerim has developed a musical language that moves between classical tradition, Mediterranean folk idioms, and contemporary improvisation.
Born in Ioannina, in northwest Greece, Keerim began piano studies at the age of four, later drawing inspiration from Alexander Scriabin’s harmonic innovations. At the same time, he learned by ear at village festivals, where the sounds of regional music shaped his sense of rhythm and improvisation.
His most recent release, Topos (ECM, 2025), is his first duo recording with lyra player Sokratis Sinopoulos, produced by Manfred Eicher. The album reimagines Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances and introduces original pieces, creating a shared sound world where folk memory and contemporary expression meet. Topos is the latest step in their long collaboration, which also includes Keerim’s role as pianist in the Sokratis Sinopoulos Quartet on the ECM albums Eight Winds (2013) and Metamodal (2019).
Yann is also a member of the Oceania Trio, presenting original compositions in a European jazz context, and the JAK Trio, where the music of Epirus meets classical forms.
Alexandros Arkadopoulos — Clarinet
Alexandros Arkadopoulos is one of Greece’s most prominent soloists, recognized for his virtuosity on the traditional clarinet and the flute. Born in Ioannina and trained under the legendary Grigoris Kapsalis, Arkadopoulos bridges the gap between ancient folk traditions and contemporary symphonic and world music.
A graduate of the University of Athens (currently a PhD candidate), his career spans prestigious global stages, including Carnegie Hall, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, and the Athens Concert Hall. He famously performed for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. Alexandros is a founding member of the acclaimed traditional ensemble TAKIM and the world-jazz group Nouveau Sextet, showcasing a range that spans from Byzantine music to modern fusion.
Throughout his career, he has collaborated with international icons such as Loreena McKennitt, Ara Dinkjian, and Dulce Pontes, as well as Greek masters like Mikis Theodorakis and George Dalaras. Currently, he serves as a professor of traditional clarinet at the University of Athens.
Kostas Meretakis — Percussion
Kostas Meretakis is a leading figure in the Mediterranean percussion scene, known for a signature style that fuses his Thracian heritage with the complex rhythms of the Balkans and the Middle East. A child prodigy who began playing at age three, Meretakis refined his craft through studies with world-class masters such as Zohar Fresco, Hamdi Akatay, and Vangelis Karipis.
As a founding member of the internationally acclaimed ensemble TAKIM, Meretakis has been at the forefront of contemporary Greek folk and world music since 2001. His versatility has led him to the world’s most prestigious stages, including a performance representing Greece at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
His resume features collaborations with global icons across genres, including Nana Mouskouri, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Calexico, Joss Stone, and Eric Burdon. Beyond the stage, he is a dedicated academic, having taught at the University of Athens (Postgraduate Department of Music Studies) and the Pallini Experimental Music School. Meretakis remains one of the most sought-after session and touring percussionists in Southern Europe.
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yanniskir@gmail.com