As long as there are musicians who have a passion for spontaneity, for creating something that's never been before, the art form of jazz will flourish. (Charlie Haden)

About Jazz In Belgium If you like and appreciate jazz, then Belgium is the right place to be. Jazz is sparkling in this country, it is amazing to see how many excellent jazz musicians there are for such a small country. Must be something in the air... Belgians always had their place of honour on the world jazz scene, starting -indirectly- with Adolphe SAX (what would jazz be by now if this famous Belgian had not invented the saxophone !). Belgium was one of the first European countries to fall in love with jazz, and already in the first decades of the 20th century, jazz bands of a high level started to flourish in the country. Belgian poet Robert GOFFIN very early celebrated jazz music in his books written in the twenties and was even the author of the first biography of Louis ARMSTRONG, "Horn of Plenty". In the twenties, Belgium already produced jazz musicians. "Chas REMUE and his New Stompers" recorded the first Belgian jazz album as early in 1927. Talented Belgian musicians appeared on the scene, rapidly gaining the respect and admiration of the European scene : Jean OMER, Jean ROBERT, John OUWERCX, Fud CANDRIX, Robert DE KERS, Stan BRENDERS, etc... Composers like Peter PACKAY and David BEE, Stan BRENDERS etc... had their works played and recorded by famous artists all over Europe and in the US : Nat GONELLA, Ted HEATH, Luis RUSSELL, Ray ANTHONY, Benny GOODMAN or Nat King COLE ! After the second world war, following the be-bop revolution, Belgium produced internationally acclaimed talents such as Jack SELS, Bobby JASPAR, René THOMAS, Jacques PELZER, Toots THIELEMANS, Francy BOLAND, SADI, soon followed by a new generation with names like Philip CATHERINE, Michel HERR, Bruno CASTELLUCCI, Bert JORIS, Charles LOOS, Fred VAN HOVE, Jean-Louis RASSINFOSSE, Félix SIMTAINE... to name a few. And the tradition goes on with a younger, promising generation, of musicians like AKA MOON, Erwin VANN, Eric LEGNINI, Phil ABRAHAM, Ivan PADUART, Nathalie LORIERS, David LINX, Diederik WISSELS, the BRUSSELS JAZZ ORCHESTRA and many others... Unlikewise another speciality of the nation - pralines (chocolates) - , jazz can be consumed in huge quantities with no negative effects. Belgium, being centrally located, has seen many jazz musicians of great fame passing through when touring Europe. On these occasions, Belgian musicians have performed with them and in some cases the encounter matured into a long lasting partnership, sometimes illustrated by recordings. But in the last 30 years or so, far from limitating themselves trying to be carbon copies of the American masters, they have moved into new and more original paths. Many musicians have today developed original projects, integrating various influences and instrumental sounds. While some still make their own versions and arrangements of known standards, some are prolific composers who create delightful, sometimes innovative music of their own composition. All styles of Jazz are present in Belgium : from traditional jazz to free improvised music, from be-bop to avant-garde or acid jazz, from fusion to ethnic jazz, from Brasilian jazz to blues or bass'n drum, etc..., so this site certainly takes the word jazz in the broadest sense and reflects this wide range of musical streams. This site, created by LES LUNDIS D'HORTENSE (the association of jazz musicians in Belgium), will take you on a sampling tour of Jazz In Belgium, with a special focus on the activities of today's Belgian jazzmen. Created in 1996, it has become a rich source of information. With no less than 3000 files, "Jazz in Belgium" puts a mass of information on the Belgian jazzmen at your disposal : their biographies, discographies, their bands, their concert appearances, their recordings, the musicians associations, etc... but also all sorts of jazz-related infos that can be useful to the jazz freak in Belgium and abroad : the live scene of clubs and concerts, jazz education, radio & tv shows, jazz publications (books, magazines, sheet music), jazz record labels, a photo gallery and much more... A large discography illustrates the diversity and richness of the current Belgian jazz scene (we counted an average of more than 35 Belgian jazz releases each year !). Our cd section offers an overview of what's available. We invite you to discover and savour Jazz In Belgium