Niels Tausk is known for his lyrical playing, keen ear for harmony and has a vast knowledge of jazz and the American songbook repertory, from dixieland to post bop, to Brazilian and modern jazz tunes. He is quite at ease playing hundreds of standards, by heart and in any key.  He teaches jazz composition at the Royal Conservatory and solfege at the Amsterdam Conservatory.

Niels Tausk can be heard on about 40 CD's and has performed with many well known jazz artists in Holland and abroad.

His passion for jazz started from an early age. At eleven he started playing trumpet, and loved the Louis Armstrong records in his fathers collection. He joined a jazz course given by Frans Elsen and Victor Kaihatu at thirteen, where he was introduced to Clifford Brown, Fats Navarro and Kenny Dorham and Dizzy. Now he realises how lucky he was to having been introduced to such great music and to have had great teachers at such an early age.

He studied with  Ack van Rooijen in the Hague and graduated in 1993 with distinction;  the exam commission noted his musical completeness, in ideas, writing, timing and reacting in the moment.

Niels was influenced by Tom Harrell, who he played with and met several times in New York and in Europe, and Chet Baker who he also heard live and met several times in Amsterdam. 

He studied with Joe Magnarelli, Mike Ledonne, Hal Galper and John Eckhart in New York.

He has worked with Barry Harris, Scott Hamilton, Teddy Edwards, Han Bennink, Dick Hyman, Bud Shank, Frank Morgan, The Amsterdam jazz Quintet, the Rein de Graaf trio, Mathilde Santing, Georgie Fame, Fay Claassen, Ferdinand Povel, Peter Beets, Greetje Kauffeld, Bert van den Brink, Rob van Bavel, Toon Roos and many others.

He has had the privilege to share the stage with Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis, Joe Lovano, Jim Hall, Kenny Barron, Sal Nestico, Phil Woods, Tom Harrell, Harry Connick jr, Jeff Watts, Branford Marsalis, Michael Brecker, Bob Berg, Red Mitchell, Mel Lewis, Kenny Kirkland and Kenny Drew, Terry Lynn Carrington, Woody Shaw and Gerard Presencer.

In the years that he was running the Savanna sessions he worked with many many great players including Jesse van Ruller, Martijn Vink, Maarten Hoogenhuis, Jasper Blom and Hans van Oosterhout.

Niels plays a Martin Commitee trumpet and a vintage Couesnon flugelhorn.