BRAND! Jazzfestival 2022
For the seventh edition of BRAND! local people are back at the helm. Central guests Lara Rosseel and Vitja Pauwels have quickly established themselves as key players in Belgian jazz. A large part of the festival is built around these musicians, whose paths cross regularly.
Lara Rosseel
Bassist and composer Lara Rosseel made a big impression with her DIY debut album De Grote Vrouw, which came out in 2020. Her music, which is laced with influences she absorbed during her many travels in all corners of the world, always stands out for its organic power. In February 2022, she released her second album, Hert. In March she played a very successful and sold-out concert in nona. During BRAND you will see her in various guises: from solo on double bass to a 14-member ensemble specially assembled for BRAND.
I always have a lot of ideas, but for a long time I've had the urge to play film music with a bigger band. So I have expanded my own band with strings and oboe, so it will be a 14-piece line-up. I am going to re-arrange the music of The Great Woman and Deer with strings, but I also want the horns to be able to approach the music just as freely. That's the power of the big band, that the horns can do their thing.
Lara Rosseel
Vitja Pauwels
The second central guest is guitarist Vitja Pauwels, mainly known as the frontman of Bombataz, but also of Naima Joris and Warm Bath, among others. With traditions in mind and the latest technology in his hands, Pauwels goes in search of cross-pollinations. He is attracted by contrasts, intuitive composition and unconventional forms of expression. He will also realise his dream project: a collaboration with master Marc Ribot (musician with Tom Waits, Elvis Costello and others).
On 1 December, I'll be playing with a band - my carte blanche, the dream band - that I put together especially for BRAND! It's with Casper Van De Velde on drums, Laurens Dierickx on Hammond organ, Frederik Leroux on baritone guitar and banjo, myself probably also on electric guitar, 12-string and pedal steel guitar and with Marc Ribot on electric guitar. It's another proof of the proposition that the tenacious wins, because it wasn't easy to get hold of Ribot!
Vitja Pauwels
Apart from these two central guests, there is of course a lot more to discover during BRAND! You can let yourself be carried away by the magisterial voice of Naima Joris, who will be presenting her long-awaited first album together with her band, and you can discover the up-and-coming generation: Aki makes intoxicatingly beautiful music with Joachim Badenhorst (central guest of the first BRAND) as an extra acquisition, while Profound Observer, around monster talent Lennert Baerts (and with Vitja Pauwels), will be collaborating with Beljazz icon Bert Joris.
Besides Marc Ribot, some more international stars make their appearance. Belgian jazz engine Teun Verbruggen presents Blind Io, with Bram De Looze, Ingrid Laubrock and Ikue Mori. The duo Alexander Hawkins & Tomeka Reid is considered a masterly Transatlantic connection, and Gard Nilssen Acoustic Unity breathes new life into the well-known sax trio format. What they present is simply irresistible!
In this way, BRAND! once again presents an adventurous programme that will appeal to both ardent fans and new discoverers.
