Niklas Lukassen is an award winning bassist and composer, who ventured from an inconspicuous village somewhere in the Southern German Black Forest out into a life of ample opportunity through his personal musical journey. Soon after discovering his love for the bass and particularly improvisation, he moved to Berlin, aged 16, to study at the Jazz Institute and to cut his teeth in the capital's music scene.
A formative part of his career lies in New York where he lived for three years and obtained a Masters’s Degree from Manhattan School of Music on a full scholarship under the mentorship of Ron Carter.
Today he pursues his doctoral degree as a practice performance researcher at the Royal Academy of Music in London, exploring innovative bass playing concepts. Unorthodox features of his personal playing style are e.g. the further artistic development of the bass cello, pick playing on the upright bass and use of gut strings on the bass guitar.
​
Immersed in different musical worlds, he has had the privilege of accompanying performances with luminaries such as Mike Stern, Jorge Rossy, Oz Noy, Sean Wayland, Valerie Simpson and most recently Kurt Rosenwinkel and Gwilym Simcock. Furthermore, Lukassen expands beyond his position as a bass playing sideman through composition/arranging work and his singing voice. As a vocalist he was a member of the German National Jazz Orchestra (BuJazzO).
​
On his band leader debut album Still Waters Run Deep (soon to be released), Niklas Lukassen merges his talents as a composer, bassist and vocalist. Alongside his band with Ben van Gelder, Kit Downes, Francesco Ciniglio and guests Kurt Rosenwinkel, Céline Rudolph, Wanja Slavin & Geoffroy De Masure, he reveals striking musical depths.
​
Through his musical collaborations he has been fortunate to tour extensively throughout Europe, the UK, North America, Asia and North Africa. Notable stages he performed on include the Lincoln Center, the Beacon Theatre, the John F. Kennedy Center and the Berlin Philharmonie.
A passionate educator, Niklas Lukassen holds teaching positions at the Carl Maria von Weber College of Music in Dresden and at the BIMM Music Institute in Berlin.
Niklas Lukassen showcases an equally lyrical sensibility and skillful command on both the upright bass and the bass guitar. Living between London and Berlin, he establishes himself as a resilient presence within the young European jazz scene. He magnetizes as a distinct rising voice that's sought after in manifold musical situations. Moreover, his sound and artistic vision radiate enormous band leader potential.