David Bovee was the first FES guitarist from 1999 till 2003. After four years he left the band to develop his own project "Think of One" (BBC Radio 3 World Music Award in 2004 and 2007). Whether they worked with throat singers from Greenland, Gnawa musicians from Morocco or Brazilian virtuosos, they achieved an exciting melting pot of music. The fruitful collaboration with Peter Vermeersch for the 'Theater aan Zee Festival' in Ostend in 2013 (an ad hoc orchestra with four Gambian musicians), triggered both artists to develop a new project. Meanwhile, David lives and works in Sao Paolo (Brazil) and knows the Maracutu, Frevo, Ciranda and Coco music through and through. For Boggamasta, Vermeersch and Bovee wrote an exuberant repertoire, got rid of the word Frevo, to bring their own direct, energetic and frenzied music: feverish, delirious and groovy, and lots of electro!

Vivaces

Internationally acclaimed pianist Eric Legnini recorded his first two albums as a leader on Igloo Records. The multifaceted pianist's releases are resolutely jazz: he released Essentials in 1990 with Stephane Galalnd and Jean-Louis Rassinfosse, and Rhythm Sphere in 1995 with Philippe Aerts, Joe Lovano, and Felix Simtaine. Now, Essentials is once again available. Three energies, three personalities, three experiences merge to form a trio with the hope of transcending the sound and conception of the conventional piano-bass-drum trio. These musicians in tandem have already received a warm welcome on the Belgian jazz scene and at various festivals. The repertoire is made essentially of original pieces by Eric Legnini, and the trio is joined for some pieces by horn players Fabrizio Cassol, Michel Massot, and Pierre Vaiana.

The Hillock Songstress

Blue Monday People is a progressive-soul band from Brussels founded by singer-songwriter Francois Vaiana. Their music is tinted with European spleen and painted with blues coming from the Americas. Francois’ pieces are urgan tales deeply influenced by the good, the ugly, the wild and the ordinary. Francois Vaiana is a singer who lived for many years in New York, Burkina Faso, and Brussels. These places have had huge influences on who he is as an artist and also as a person. He founded the band Blue Monday People so he can express all the thoughts he gathered throughout his travels. He met his band while studying music in Brussels.

POISSON D'OR

ELLE FRAPPE LA TERRE ROUGE

A new album from award-winning Belgian poet Moch�lan and his band, Zoku. He raps, slams, and recites lines over organic vibes that mix jazz, electro, and soul. This double-CD set includes seven extra tracks from the live performance "N�s Poumons Noirs" ("Born with Black Lungs") that received enthusiastic reviews at the renowned Avignon Theatre Festival.

HORS FORMAT

Conceptions, the fourth album of the pianist Olivier Collette, presents a repertoire formed only by original compositions inspired mainly by jazz but also blues or world music. Olivier is surrounded by great musicians such as Samuel Gerstmans on double bass, Matthias De Waele on drums and on four songs, and Steve Houben on alto saxophone. The music puts the accent on melody, harmony, and diversity, sometimes close to the tradition, sometimes close to modern jazz. “Conceptions” has a double meaning: the concept and to give birth to something, the basic principle of artistic creation.

ORGANETTA

PLACE DU SABLON

Mussorgsky's classic "Pictures at an Exhibition," here gets a new and electrifying presentation. This jazz project with a dash of rock energy and electronics showcases the perfect alchemy between these three experienced musicians. C�cile Broch� studied classical music, contemporary music, improvisation, and took jazz courses. As a violinist, C�cile Broch� has been involved in many different projects, including contemporary music ensembles, free music, working with dancers, with actors, with jazz musicians featuring strings and solo performances. Percussionist Antoine Cirri has been reinventing the jazz scene for twenty years. He studied classical percussion at the Academie de Chenee before joining the improvisation class at the Conservatoire de Liege. The rest, as they say, is history. Born in Liege, Jacques Pirotton began playing guitar at age 14. First interested with rock and blues, he discovered jazz in the seventies. He has been touring as a professional musician for more than thirty years.

Alain Pierre has always liked acoustic guitars, especially nylon strings, but also the twelve-string guitar (aka “folk” guitar). In his personal approach to jazz, he uses classical guitar techniques on the twelve steel strings, which is definitely one of the key features of his style. No wonder that Alain is particularly fond of the luxuriant acoustic jazz of the 70s, best represented, among others, by the ECM label. His compositions and playing arise from these influences. Alain’s son, Antoine, fell into his father’s magic jazz cauldron and grew up as a fan of jazz music of all times. His musical path has led him so far through a large part of Europe and to New York City, playing with key jazz artists. He recently received the Sabam Jazz Award for young talents. Felix Zurstrassen is the third member of the trio, and has already served as partner for Antoine in various projects. He is a bassist with astonishing musical capabilities, precise and always appropriate. His solid playing is very much in demand, and this rich experience enables him to fit accurately into any lineup. The band has shed new light on Alain Pierre’s compositions, his music is played with verve, power, and contrasts.

FOLIES DOUCES

Quatrième Monde

CHARLES LOOS TRIO: En public au travers

Antoine Pierre, the young and prodigal Belgian drummer presents the second album of his personal project "Urbex." The titles of the new opus "Sketches of Nowhere" mark a real turning point for Urbex: the sound atmosphere is hypnotic, bass riffs are groovy and catchy, with the typical impacts of electronic music. The compositions are very open: they are contained by the rhythm section and the harmonic focus but leave a lot of room for the creativity of the musicians. We find with happiness the complex and symbolic writing of the young drummer. Antoine Pierre began playing drums at age 12. When he turned 18 in 2010, Pierre joined the band of Belgian guitar legend Philip Catherine which allowed him to tour extensively in various jazz venues across Europe. In 2014 he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Master degree from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, and subsequently moved to New York to study at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and to play with musicians of the local jazz scene.

Entitled "Manifesto," the new album of the Luxembourg-based contemporary jazz trio around the drummer Jeff Herr consists of seven original songs and a surprising cover of Randy Newman's "Same girl." It ensures the continuity of the previous album, "Layer Cake," of the oscillation between structured compositions and free improvisations, as well as of the contrast between the acoustic sound and contemporary interpretation. This time, however, the trio has been joined on several songs by the American guitarist Adam Rogers, known for his work in the modern jazz idiom and his numerous collaborations with musicians such as Norah Jones, Ravi Coltrane, and Marcus Miller. His guitar playing, rooted in the acoustic jazz tradition and influenced by Pat Martino, George Benson, and Wes Montgomery, provides the Jeff Herr Corporation with a unique aspect and a new, intriguing sound.

STORIE VERE

The first Lion Orchestra was formed in the 1980s by Garrett List and students who had taken his improvisation class. It is with his blessing that the Lion Orchestra is now seeking out new adventures. On this debut album, The Lion Orchestra revisits titles of shows from the Collective, with the desire to make listeners and spectators dance, sing, and smile with timeless hits. “The Collective lives like a troupe of artists, some of whom have been there from the beginning, hailing from all disciplines- jazz, rock, poetry, dance theater- all gathering around a shared aesthetic… As for the title of this album, Urban Connections, it directly refers to the Liege festival of the same name supported by the city which allowed us to create a freely Sous les paves in 2012, Odyssee 14 in 2014, and L’Orchestre du Lion in 2016.”

For his new album Supersonic Flora, composer Walter Hus revisited some of the key works of his career and turned them into brand new spectacular solo piano pieces. The music on the album ranges from Walter Hus' most radical and minimalist inspired compositions from the eighties, through more rounded and melodically oriented music from the nineties to a freshly written jazzy piece in memory of a friend. All of his music was originally written for multiplayer combinations like string quartets or orchestras and had never been intended to be played using only ten fingers. He writes: "I see Supersonic Flora as mainly a present to myself. For long I had been projecting an entirely new recital programme based on my ensemble works from the past. I made a selection of pieces I particularly liked; pieces I wanted to be in physical contact with; pieces that were playable and would sound great on the piano. This proved to be not so easy. I had to do some serious rewriting as most of the original music had strong contrapuntal tendencies. The combination of a network of multiple interweaving voices with a steady ongoing rhythm made it quite complex to recreate the same music in the scope of two hands on the piano!"

Serge Lazarevitch lived in the USA where he studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston with Mick Goodrick, Mike Gibbs, John La Porta. During this American period he met Pat Metheny, Mike Stern, Bill Frisell. Back in Europe in 1979, he settled down in Belgium and was part of the jazz Belgian scene along with Philip Catherine, Jacques Pelzer, Steve Houben, Charles Loos. This new recording is the logical continuation of the previous one 'Cats are welcome', an album which made with press as well as the public. Turning from the trio to the quartet with sax, Serge lazarevitch explores still further through his own compositions and those by his favorite composers, here O. Coleman, into the musical universe he likes.

Intuitions

St�phane Mercier's Quintet is made of Belgian top players, in which the communion between the past and the present reconciles the old and the new. The album is a summary of Mercier's jazz journey through Europe and America, deeply rooted in friendship, admiration and exciting music. St�phane Mercier is a Balgian saxophonist who has recorded an impressive six albums as a bandleader. After studying at Berklee College of Music during the nineties, he settled for seven years in New York City where he developed his career and signed for one of the most important jazz indie labels: Fresh Sound/New Talent. After the distribution of his first album, he moved to Paris for two years before returning to his home country of Belgium. He currently lives in Brussels, still internationally playing with bands ranging from intimate duos to big bands.