Vaganée – Gerstmans – Verbruggen (Salut les Voisins – Jazz bij de Buren)

Alto saxophonist Frank Vaganée, double bass player Sam Gerstmans and drummer Teun Verbruggen joined forces for a unique concert in 2019. They improvised on jazz standards and performed their own compositions, sprinkled with a dash of bop. They couldn’t believe their luck and the band was born. They bring the soul of jazz to life and the surprises are endless.

The three musicians are in love with the good old bop that we enjoy without thinking. The jazz style that has been flowing through our veins since the 1950s and has nourished many minds. It is not given to everyone to play this music spontaneously, without reservation or calculation, but then Vaganée, Gerstmans and Verbruggen are not everyone. Without looking for it, these three virtuosos have stumbled upon the magical alchemy that bubbles up the ingenuity of jazz, which is constantly renewing itself.

They alternate between the standards of Monk, Duke, Coleman and Parker and their own compositions, and these are by no means out of tune. The interaction between the saxophonist, the double bass player and the drummer is completely natural. Together with the smoothness and subtlety of the playing, the energy transports you to a fantasised Birdland that is at once real and, above all, very contemporary.

For those who love Lee Konitz, Paul Motion, Ornette Coleman, Johnny Hodges, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk and Roland Kirk.

Saluts les Voisins – Jazz bij de Buren (Jazz at the Neighbours)

Jazz is above all the universal language that crosses borders and unites cultures. With the brand new Salut Les Voisins - Jazz bij de Buren, we build a bridge between the jazz scene in Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels.

During Leuven Jazz, we will introduce you to five bands from Wallonia and Brussels. Festival partner Gaume Jazz will host four Dutch-speaking bands next summer, including one selection by Leuven Jazz. This unique Flemish-Walloon-Brussels alliance will also have an international flavour: ten foreign programmers will be invited to discover the rich Belgian jazz scene.

This groundbreaking collaboration is supported by JazzLab, FAZZ, VI.BE, Gaume Jazz, Wallonie-Bruxelles Musiques, the Flemish Community and the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles. This group comes from the Jazz Tour selection.