The Brussels Jazz Festival is celebrating its tenth anniversary in January with a special edition at Flagey. The festival will take place from 9 to 18 January, the organisers announced on Tuesday.
American saxophonist David Murray will open the festival on 9 January, while Friday 10 January will feature home-grown jazz talent with Simon Comté and Bram De Looze, as well as French singer and bassist Amy Gadiaga.
Sunday 12 January will conclude with a screening of Johan Grimonprez's documentary 'Soundtrack to a Coup d'État,' about how jazz played out over Congo's coup and the aftermath of Patrice Lumumba's assassination.
On Tuesday 14 January, the Toots Thielemans Jazz Award will be presented to the most promising jazz student at the Royal Brussels Conservatoire. This year, it goes to YuTing Li, who will also give a concert then.
Evolution of jazz
London-based saxophonist Camilla George will take to the stage with the Immanuel Wilkins Quartet on 15 January. The festival will close on 18 January with Jas Kayser, who is the drummer for Lenny Kravitz, and bassist Daniel Casimir, after which a double DJ set will continue the evening's festivities.
"With this anniversary edition, we are not only celebrating ten years of Brussels Jazz Festival, but also the continuous evolution of jazz in all its forms," said Maarten Van Rousselt, Brussels Jazz Festival programme manager, in a press release.
"Our mission is to provide a platform for both established names and up-and-coming talent, and this year we have put together a special programme that showcases the bandwidth and diversity of jazz music," he added.
