HAM SESSIONS OUTDOOR 2023 - 17e editie

HAM SESSIONS OUTDOOR 2023 - 17e editie – 27 mei 2023

15:00 THE GREEN MEAN MACHINE

The Green Mean Machine ontstond tijdens het laatste jaar van de studies van de leden aan het conservatorium, onder begeleiding van Erik Vermeulen. Met als startpunt het tweede kwintet van Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett en Wayne Shorter, maar vooral hun muzikale vrijheid en de onderliggende speelsheid, werkte GMM naar een eigen klank, met dezelfde factoren: vrij-, en speelsheid.

Line-up:

Werend Van Den Bossche (as)
Warre Van De Putte (ts)
Zjef Van Steenbergen (cb)
Marcos Della Rocha (dr)

17:00 PABLO HELD's BUOYANCY BAND (D, GB)

Celebrated German pianist and composer Pablo Held presents BUOYANCY – his 16th release as a leader – with an exciting new band featuring a unique instrumentation, exploring new material as arrangements of classics like Star Wars & Pippi Longstockings! Joined by Percy Pursglove on trumpet and flügelhorn, Kit Downes on organ, Leif Berger on drums, and legendary vocalist Norma Winstone, the album marks a new chapter in Held’s already well-established career – presenting fresh, thoughtful compositions and arrangements that pleasantly push creative boundaries while remaining true to the pianist’s reputation for narrative story-telling in song and album form.

The recording will be released internationally by Held’s label, Hopalit Records, on April 14th, 2023, on CD and digitally.

Line-up:

Pablo Held (p)
Kit Downes (hammond)
Percy Pursglove (tp)
Leif Berger (dr)

19:00  N O V A (B, NL, GB, BRA)

"The Belgian bassist Félix Zurstrassen leads N O V A, a prestigious international quintet of top European musicians with an artistically composed repertoire. He is accompanied by the Franco-Brazilian guitarist Nelson Veras, the Dutch alto saxophonist Ben van Gelder, the English pianist/organist Kit Downes and the Belgian drummer Antoine Pierre. Located at the crossroads of modern and contemporary jazz, the quintet offers sophisticated, melodious and contemporary music, with a strong emphasis on the acoustic sounds of the instruments."

Line-up:

Ben Van Gelder (as)
Nelson Veras (g)
Kit Downes (p)
Félix Zurstrassen (b)
Antoine Pierre (dr)

HAM SESSIONS OUTDOOR 2023 - 17e editie – 28 mei

15:00 VELVET REVOLUTION (D, F, GB)

Daniel Erdmann created his new trio in 2015, with the promising young Théo Ceccaldi "révélation 2014“ of Jazz Magazine“ on violin and viola and Jim Hart on vibraphone, one of the most in demand musicians on the european scene. The music is all original and composed by Daniel Erdmann for this very special line up.

Line-up:

Daniel Erdmann (ts)
Théo Ceccaldi (alt)
Jim Hart (vibra)

17:00  LES VIOLONS de BRUXELLES

Led by Tcha Limberger, "Les Violons De Bruxelles" group brings together the finest strings that Belgium has to offer, and puts the accent not on the guitar but on three violins. This string quintet takes the traditional swing formula of the “Hot Club de France” but turns its codes inside out. The quintet is unrivalled in its performance of gypsy jazz, swing, songs (and related genres like the choro), resulting in melodies that merge jazz with chamber music while the violins blend sumptuous improvisations with classic arrangements and wild forays into gypsy and Latin music.

Line-up:

Tcha Limberger (viool)
Renaud Crols (viool)
Alexandre Tripodi (alt)
Renaud Dardenne (g)
Sam Gerstmans (cb)

19:00 ANEMIC CINEMA

For a long time, the jazz community turned a blind eye to the existence of heavy metal. With its propensity for brutality, various occult themes and raging volumes, the genre had to deal with prejudices for years, but things have changed. Contemporary jazz/improvisation heavyweights such as Craig Taborn, Matt Mitchell and Hilmar Jensson have not only expressed their love for heavy metal, but also incorporated some of it into their adventurous music practices.

Not surprisingly, really, as the much maligned genre has expanded into an embarrassment of richness, with bands not only vying for extremity, but also working with striking polymeters, exotic textures, genre-defying dynamics and even some improvisation. Also for Belgian guitarist Artan Buleshkaj, metal is a source of inspiration, and while some of that already seeped into his playing in other bands, Anemic Cinema is where he gives himself free reign.

Line-up:

Artan Buleshkaj (baritongitaar)
Steven Delannoye (ts, baskl.)
Rob Banken (as, kl)
Matthias Dewaele (drums)

HAM SESSIONS OUTDOOR 2023 - 17e editie – 29 mei     UITVERKOCHT                         

15:00 MACONDO TRIO (Benin, B, It)

Macondo is de vereniging van drummer Angelo Moustapha, uit Benin, handlanger van Philip Catherine, Lionel Loueke, winnaar van talrijke prijzen (beste drummer in Afrika, 2017; Talent d'Afrique, 2021)   en de Belgische saxofonist Sylvain Debaisieux, onmisbare speler in de jazz en geïmproviseerde muziek in België (Stéphane Galland, Pentadox, Lynn Cassiers, Ghalia Benali).

Voor de trio-formule voegden ze de getalenteerde Italiaanse contrabassist Federico Stocchi (Toots Thielemans Awards 2018) toe.

Het delen en de rijkdom van hun respectievelijke muzikale reizen zorgde voor onmiddellijke navolging, en hun vermogen om te luisteren en zich aan te passen leidde al snel tot een sterke muzikale band. Ze nemen het publiek vrolijk en natuurlijk mee in hun wereld die rijk is aan polyritmiek en melodieuze verhalen. Geïnspireerd door Afrikaanse hymnes of reizen naar Europa, zijn de melodieën gebouwd op cyclische en boeiende baslijnen. De luisteraar wordt meegesleept door de flow en het energieke geluid van het trio, opgaand in repetitieve patronen en verwarrende grooves. Ze delen stemmen, wisselen solo's en improvisaties van hoog niveau uit, altijd in een geest van dialoog en in gemeenschap met het publiek.

MACONDO is hun eerste EP, uitgebracht in december 2022 op het label 'Off-record'.

Line-up:

Sylvain Debaisieux (ts)
Federico Stocchi (b)
Angelo Moustapha (dr)

17:00 Jeroen Van Herzeele / Stéphane Galland

With this duo, Jeroen Van Herzeele opens another chapter in his musical research. Using different settings, Jeroen and Stéphane experience live music in an interactive context, with multiple horns (tenor and soprano), overdubs, modular synths, drums and electronics, exhilarating dialogues around themes and metrics.

Line-up:

Jeroen Van Herzeele (ts)
Stéphane Galland (d)

19:00 LABTRIO

Since 2007, LABtrio became key to the Belgian jazz scene thanks to its three versatile, outstanding members. Endowed with a fresh and adventurous approach to music, this trio’s acoustic universe conceals an urban jazz that flirts with electronic, underground and hip-hop cultures. Their music is refreshing and constantly evolving. Besides their own compositions, they alternate with jazz standards with a personal twist.

Lander Gyselinck, Anneleen Boehme and Bram De Looze — meanwhile all international stars with flourishing careers going far beyond jazz music — look for lyricism and drive, melodies and beats. Inspired by different musical genres, ranging from classical music to pop and electronics.

Line-up:

Lander Gyselinck (drums)
Anneleen Boehme (double bass)
Bram De Looze (piano)