Roskam Cafe

It is an old "Stam Café" as we like them in Brussels. It is located in a neighbourhood that mixes the popular and the trendy, near the Place Sainte-Catherine. Take the Rue de Flandre, look for the horse's head sign and you'll find yourself at the Roskam (Roskam means "horse comb" in Dutch).

Every Sunday, for more than three years now, the bistro has been transformed into a jazz club. The café is long, dark and lively, with a nostalgically old-fashioned decor. And in the back there is the stage.

Adib Garti is in charge of the programme. After trying out different formulas, the club has found its style: resolutely modern jazz, sometimes adventurous and often open to fusion and world music. Young bands are often given the chance to express themselves here. Egon, PaNoPTicoN or Trio Formica and other little-known bands have performed here. But the more established jazzmen have also performed here. Erik Vermeulen Trio, Corpo, Lidlboj, Toine Thys, Manu Hermia and Robin Verheyen have all performed at Roskam.

All the concerts are free of charge and the public, initially curious, soon found a regular meeting place. For the more attentive, the seats near the stage are ideal. You are as close as possible to the musicians, the acoustics are good and the view unobstructed. For the others, there is still the front room with its bar service. And the movement, the chatter and the comings and goings do not disturb the jazzmen, but add to the buzz of the place.

If the weekend seems a bit dull, just go to the Roskam for a breath of jazz, energy and simple, friendly pleasures. Your week will be all the more explosive for it.

(Jacques Prouvost, Jazz In Belgium #70, April 2010)