The Gent Jazz Festival programme (July 8th until 19th, Bijlokesite, Gent, Belgium) is completed, including names such as Jamie Cullum, George Benson, Jamie Lidell, Joe Jackson, McCoy Tyner Trio feat. Bill Frisell, Brad Mehldau Trio, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Fred Hersch Trio, Randy Weston and a tribute to Nina Simone featuring, among others, Dianne Reeves & Lizz Wright. As we had already announced, BB King, Marianne Faithfull and Richard Galliano All Star Quartet will also be present.
Novelties
On the whole, the Gent Jazz Festival focuses on pure jazz during the first festival weekend while attention is more fixed on fusion during the second part. There are some novelties in the concept. This year, the finalists of the “Brussels Jazz Orchestra International Composition Contest 2009" gain a platform during the festival. The Gent Jazz Festival also entered into a structural partnership with the Hogeschool Gent, in order to give students and alumni the opportunity to perform on stage on the last concert day, beginning this year. Another innovation the festival provides are the free jam sessions which will take place in the medieval cellar of the NH Hotel Gent Belfort every festival day from 23h30 in the evening.
From this year on, the music competition Young Jazz Talent Ghent, an initiative of the Duvel-Moortgat brewery, will also take place at the Bijloke during the GJF period, in a new festival caf, next to the main site. It will be open from 12 h in the afternoon. Entrance to these concerts is free. The same selected groups will also perform a second time during the Ghent Festivities (18.07-27.07.09) at the familiar Gouden Leeuwplein in the Duvel Droomschip. During the Ghent Festivities, the Gent Jazz Festival will work on a special project in the Augustijnenklooster (from July 18 to July 25 inclusive, Augustijnenkaai). Classical pianist Frederick Croene and Timo van Luijk will then build an installation of broken pianos, which they will explore and play on as one big instrument.
Programme
The Gent Jazz Festival begins on Wednesday, July 8 this year with a Special Night featuring blues legend BB King. The winner of Young Jazz Talent Ghent 2008, Bender Banjax, will open the evening, followed by China Moses, who recently released her first album on the Blue Note label. On Thursday, July 9, the Brussels Jazz Orchestra interprets the selected big band compositions that were submitted for the BJO International Composition Contest. The respective finalists then will conduct the BJO. Afterwards, a professional jury will announce the winner of the 5th edition of this competition.
Next, the American piano player Fred Hersch will perform with his Trio + 2. The headliner is Sing The Truth, a Nina Simone Tribute, an ode to the High Priestess of Soul, interpreted by Dianne Reeves, Lizz Wright, Angelique Kidjo and Simone (Nina Simones daughter). The Belgian band Aka Moon is the first band on stage on Friday, July 10, followed by Randy Weston with his African Rhythms Trio. The McCoy Tyner Trio will close the evening with his special guest Bill Frissell.
This year, McCoy Tyner celebrates his seventieth birthday. His last album, Guitars (with, among others, Bill Frisell) is the start of one of the most creative chapters of his impressive career. The young Belgian piano player Free Desmyter opens the evening with his quartet on Saturday, July 11.
The youthful trumpeter Christian Scott makes his debut on the GJF stage. As a guest musician, he often makes a trip to hip-hop, but with his own band, he is an example of the new Guard of jazz musicians. George Benson, known as a premier jazz guitarist, will close the first Saturday. Sunday, July 12, the Yaron Herman Trio will set the tone, followed by Nathalie Loriers Trio & Bert Joris with Strings. In the near future, an album from this new project of Nathalie Loriers will be released under the WERF label.
Pianist Brad Mehldau will then step on stage with his own Brad Mehldau Trio. The first festival weekend will then be rounded out by the Richard Galliano All Star Quartet with Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Richard Bona & Clarence Penn.
After a few days of rest, Jamie Lidell is the first headliner of the second part of the festival on Thursday, July 16. Previous to that, the soul singer Leela James will present the long-awaited sequel to her debut album. The band starting that evening is the Ghent-based Briskey, which has released one of the better Belgian albums of the year entitled Before-During-After. The Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela close the evening on Friday, July 17, but first Jos James, one of the discoveries at Jazz Middelheim 2008, will present his new album. Followed by the American band Lambchop, a musical collective built around front man and creative mastermind Kurt Wagner, that brings a subtle mix of country, rock, pop, folk and soul.
On Saturday, July 18 Marianne Faithfull is the headliner, preceded by the musical chameleon Joe Jackson. Sixties legend Faithfull released one of the best albums of her career with last years cover album Easy Come, Easy Go. The young Ghent-based band Kartasan opens the evening. On Sunday, July 19, piano prodigy Jamie Cullum will festively round out the Gent Jazz Festival. But only after the performance of the HoGent Jazz Orchestra, consisting of students, alumni and teachers, and followed by the pride of Ghent, Lady Linn & Her Magnificent Seven, and Melody Gardot. She was one of the discoveries at the Ghent Jazz Festival last year and repeats with a 2009 performance.
Practical information
Ghent Jazz Festival (July 8 until 19 inclusive) at the Bijlokesite, entrance Godshuizenlaan, 9000 Ghent, gentjazz.com.
Tickets: presale 27 Euros / Box office 32 Euros. Tickets July 8 (day BB King) presale 37 / box office 42 Euros. Three-days-pass (with the exception of July 8, BB King): 68 Euros. All presale prices do not include booking costs. Children under the age of 2: free. Children between 3 and 12 years old: 5 Euros (only at the box office). People accompanying disables people who need assistance may also enter for free (only at the box office). Note: seats from July 8 until 12 inclusive, standings from July 16 until 19 inclusive.
See our website for presale and reservations.
Novelties
On the whole, the Gent Jazz Festival focuses on pure jazz during the first festival weekend while attention is more fixed on fusion during the second part. There are some novelties in the concept. This year, the finalists of the “Brussels Jazz Orchestra International Composition Contest 2009" gain a platform during the festival. The Gent Jazz Festival also entered into a structural partnership with the Hogeschool Gent, in order to give students and alumni the opportunity to perform on stage on the last concert day, beginning this year. Another innovation the festival provides are the free jam sessions which will take place in the medieval cellar of the NH Hotel Gent Belfort every festival day from 23h30 in the evening.
From this year on, the music competition Young Jazz Talent Ghent, an initiative of the Duvel-Moortgat brewery, will also take place at the Bijloke during the GJF period, in a new festival caf, next to the main site. It will be open from 12 h in the afternoon. Entrance to these concerts is free. The same selected groups will also perform a second time during the Ghent Festivities (18.07-27.07.09) at the familiar Gouden Leeuwplein in the Duvel Droomschip. During the Ghent Festivities, the Gent Jazz Festival will work on a special project in the Augustijnenklooster (from July 18 to July 25 inclusive, Augustijnenkaai). Classical pianist Frederick Croene and Timo van Luijk will then build an installation of broken pianos, which they will explore and play on as one big instrument.
Programme
The Gent Jazz Festival begins on Wednesday, July 8 this year with a Special Night featuring blues legend BB King. The winner of Young Jazz Talent Ghent 2008, Bender Banjax, will open the evening, followed by China Moses, who recently released her first album on the Blue Note label. On Thursday, July 9, the Brussels Jazz Orchestra interprets the selected big band compositions that were submitted for the BJO International Composition Contest. The respective finalists then will conduct the BJO. Afterwards, a professional jury will announce the winner of the 5th edition of this competition.
Next, the American piano player Fred Hersch will perform with his Trio + 2. The headliner is Sing The Truth, a Nina Simone Tribute, an ode to the High Priestess of Soul, interpreted by Dianne Reeves, Lizz Wright, Angelique Kidjo and Simone (Nina Simones daughter). The Belgian band Aka Moon is the first band on stage on Friday, July 10, followed by Randy Weston with his African Rhythms Trio. The McCoy Tyner Trio will close the evening with his special guest Bill Frissell.
This year, McCoy Tyner celebrates his seventieth birthday. His last album, Guitars (with, among others, Bill Frisell) is the start of one of the most creative chapters of his impressive career. The young Belgian piano player Free Desmyter opens the evening with his quartet on Saturday, July 11.
The youthful trumpeter Christian Scott makes his debut on the GJF stage. As a guest musician, he often makes a trip to hip-hop, but with his own band, he is an example of the new Guard of jazz musicians. George Benson, known as a premier jazz guitarist, will close the first Saturday. Sunday, July 12, the Yaron Herman Trio will set the tone, followed by Nathalie Loriers Trio & Bert Joris with Strings. In the near future, an album from this new project of Nathalie Loriers will be released under the WERF label.
Pianist Brad Mehldau will then step on stage with his own Brad Mehldau Trio. The first festival weekend will then be rounded out by the Richard Galliano All Star Quartet with Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Richard Bona & Clarence Penn.
After a few days of rest, Jamie Lidell is the first headliner of the second part of the festival on Thursday, July 16. Previous to that, the soul singer Leela James will present the long-awaited sequel to her debut album. The band starting that evening is the Ghent-based Briskey, which has released one of the better Belgian albums of the year entitled Before-During-After. The Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela close the evening on Friday, July 17, but first Jos James, one of the discoveries at Jazz Middelheim 2008, will present his new album. Followed by the American band Lambchop, a musical collective built around front man and creative mastermind Kurt Wagner, that brings a subtle mix of country, rock, pop, folk and soul.
On Saturday, July 18 Marianne Faithfull is the headliner, preceded by the musical chameleon Joe Jackson. Sixties legend Faithfull released one of the best albums of her career with last years cover album Easy Come, Easy Go. The young Ghent-based band Kartasan opens the evening. On Sunday, July 19, piano prodigy Jamie Cullum will festively round out the Gent Jazz Festival. But only after the performance of the HoGent Jazz Orchestra, consisting of students, alumni and teachers, and followed by the pride of Ghent, Lady Linn & Her Magnificent Seven, and Melody Gardot. She was one of the discoveries at the Ghent Jazz Festival last year and repeats with a 2009 performance.
Practical information
Ghent Jazz Festival (July 8 until 19 inclusive) at the Bijlokesite, entrance Godshuizenlaan, 9000 Ghent, gentjazz.com.
Tickets: presale 27 Euros / Box office 32 Euros. Tickets July 8 (day BB King) presale 37 / box office 42 Euros. Three-days-pass (with the exception of July 8, BB King): 68 Euros. All presale prices do not include booking costs. Children under the age of 2: free. Children between 3 and 12 years old: 5 Euros (only at the box office). People accompanying disables people who need assistance may also enter for free (only at the box office). Note: seats from July 8 until 12 inclusive, standings from July 16 until 19 inclusive.
See our website for presale and reservations.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
