Simon Comté New York quartet

Simon Comte : A Voice from Brussels, Forged in New York

Simon Comte is one of the most captivating voices to emerge from the jazz scene in years. Born in Belgium and admitted to the Brussels Royal Conservatory at 14, he set his sights early on New York. He moved there at 18 and started studying at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music and establishing himself in the jazz capital of the world.

Simon has already performed internationally with his own groups and as a sideman, and was invited as a soloist by the Grammy Award-winning WDR Big Band Cologne in 2025. He is a winner of the Leuven Jazz Contest, recipient of the Belgian American Educational Foundation (BAEF) 2023 scholarship and winner of multiple Downbeat Student Awards including Best Ensemble in 2025 and Best Soloist in 2026. His original compositions draw on a deep dialogue between post-bop tradition and contemporary sensibility — Coltrane and Monk filtered through Mehldau and Kenny Wheeler.

His debut EP, recorded at Sear Sound in New York in June 2026 and released on 6 November 2026 on Flak Records, marks the formal arrival of a long-anticipated talent on the international stage.

The NY Quartet

Winners of the Best Ensemble award at the DownBeat Student Music Awards 2025. Simon Comté is joined by three outstanding musicians:

• Brahm Sasner – piano

Jazz pianist from the Bay Area, CA. Manhattan School of Music. Vail Jazz Workshop alumnus (2021). Finalist in the 2027 American Piano Awards. Known for his deep harmonic sensibility and conversational approach to the piano trio format.

• Chet Carlson – double bass

Bassist from St. Paul, MN. Manhattan School of Music. Mentored by Buster Williams, Jay Anderson and Anthony Cox. Has performed with Wynton Marsalis and Dayna Stephens. Renowned for his melodic sensitivity and commanding presence.

• Kabelo Mokhatla – drums

Drummer and composer from Tembisa, South Africa. Manhattan School of Music (BM, Jazz Percussion). Hugh Masekela Heritage Scholar. Performed at NPR Tiny Desk (Nduduzo Makhathini Trio), Jazz at Lincoln Center, Dizzy’s Club, and the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival. Debut album nominated in 4 categories at the Mzantsi Jazz Awards.

The Music

The quartet brings Simon Comté’s original compositions to life. The debut repertoire will be recorded in June 2026 at Sear Sound, New York, with Grammy-winning producer and engineer James Farber, and released on Flak Records on 6 November 2026.