Guillaume Vierset combines the poetry of Philip Catherine, the soul of Grant Green, and the sharp edges of Kurt Rosenwinkel. His sparring partners, a dream team of upcoming Belgian talent, are given plenty of room to express themselves, but always at perfectly measured times. Vierset and his collective are ready to forge their own path!

After revisiting New Orleans airs, swing, gypsy, contemporary, jazz, and classical music, Jean-Francois Foliez unveils here a first album with a powerhouse quartet. Alongside pianist Casimir Liberski, back from a long stay in New York where he deepened his playing alongside musicians such as Ornette Coleman and Brad Mehldau, we find the solid rhythm section of Janos Bruneel on double bass and Xavier Roge on drums, bringing energy and precision to the arrangements. Born in 1984, Jean-Francois Foliez began his studies at 4 years old. At 16 he began playing tenor saxophone with the big band of Liege. He has studied at the Royal Conservatory of Liege, as well as with artists such as Jean-Pierre Peuvion and Benjamin Dietels.

“Animus Anima” is what happens when an experiment brings together 4 musicians from different backgrounds: sax player and composer Nicolas Ankoudinoff comes straight from jazz, Pascal Rousseau on tuba is known in contemporary circles. On guitar, the improviser and feedback freak Benoist Eil faces drummer Etienne Plumer, who is very much into the M-base Afro-American tradition. This release is a work presented in seven scenes and two interludes that draw from the emotional states that nature can inspire. Seven evocative tracks are presented with original orchestration and surprising sound textures. “Animus Anima” explores sound, teasing it playfully to draw out music that is incandescent, visionary, at the limit of being troubling and dissonant but nonetheless accessible. The program is like a ride through varied feelings that combine sharp focus and lyricism. Some would say that Animus Anima’s music is the missing link between Pink Floyd and Archie Shepp.

In this new release, the Flat Earth Society, a speaker and a soprano sing the fate of an iceberg in 1912. From her spectacular birth in Jakobshavn to her unmarked disappearance in the North Atlantic ocean, and in between some incident with a luxurious ocean liner, this music tells the tale of a boat sunk, an iceberg melted, and the universe continuing on. No-nonsense artist, former architect, clarinetist, saxophonist, keyboard player, composer and producer Peter Vermeersch, wanted to explore new horizons after having convinced music lovers all over the world with his previous projects. This group consists of 15 musicians, occasionally rounded out by guest singers.

MUSIC 4 A WHILE

Bal Folk

ORCHESTRA VIVO!

Motion

Al Qantara

Bees and Bumblebees

New Orleans Function

Brussels group Kel Assouf, is back with their second album that will shake the Touareg scene even more. After detours toward Afrobeat, reggae and funk, Anana and the new team now turn their attention to Led Zeppelin and today’s rock. Kel Assouf means both “those with nostalgia” and “sons of eternity” in the Touareg language Tamasheq. The group came together around the exiled Touareg musician Anana Harouna in 2006. From the beginning the group built its identity around two central ideas: the promotion of Touareg culture and the struggle against discrimination. For this new release, Kel Assouf wants to express the stupefaction and perplexity created by a world where war, injustice and pollution are running rampant. With one foot in the desert and the other in the urban jungle, Anana writes about the Sahara, Niger, and everyday life both there and in Europe. Using short phrases similar to Japanese haikus, Anana sings his poetry about humanity and respect. The result is a powerful sound.

Extremes

Now, saxophonist Thomas Champane is building his own house- Random House- and is moving in together with Guillaume Vierset, Ruben Lamon, and Alain Deval. And while the four of them are currently busy with reconstruction and renovation works, the first blueprint of the final design is now ready. And its name is ‘Sweet Day.’ Listen closely and you’ll hear the influence of other great exemplars such as Lee Konitz and Wayne Shorter. But also a vision that goes beyond that of a traditional design. With clever nods to contemporary architects of the New York school such as Ralph Alessi, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Nasheet Waits, the four attempt to erect a more classical structure with modernist leanings and a few colorful yet unexpected twists. Works are still under construction. And only time will tell in which direction things will go. As with Chris Ware’s graphic novel ‘Building Stories,’ only the building blocks are present and every combination leads to a different outcome. ‘Sweet Day’ shares the same characteristics. Depending on your mood, where you listen and with whom, you’ll discover new elements and new possibilities every time you play it.

After a first trio album widely applauded, the pianist Pierre de Surgeres confirms he’s an original composer and a born improviser. Accompanied by Teun Verbruggen and Felix Zurstrassen, they dare a second opus full of surprises. Even if their first goal is to explore new territories, Pierre and his companions always make sure to tell a story. Thus, they present melodies that you keep in mind long after listening and a very personal sense of groove. One can detect the influences of Steve Coleman and Olivier Messiaen throughout this music. Surgeres writes of his style: “… I like writing music with constraints, such as dodecaphony, Messiaen modes or predefined metric structures, but I also know that what touches the listener most in jazz is emotion and feeling. The advantage of the piano-bass-drums trio format is that you can pass from written structures to something more improvised, in one continuous flow…”