Traversing new-age influences and ambient jazz territories towards funky indie and alternative pop, Gent Jazz Festival is an adventure realm where there’s something attractive for everyone. A festival that has cemented its place as essential for jazz enthusiasts and beyond, it continues to surprise every year. For the 22nd edition, Gent Jazz invited artists to showcase music shaped by their rich heritage and unexpected passions sculpted in time. Among these music explorers are the iconic André 3000, the fun Aili, the youthful Lézard, the romantic Loverman and the soulful Dushime.
Different Class members can enjoy André 3000’s concert with a reduction of -50%.
André 3000
The legendary André 3000 does not cease to amaze. In November 2023 he released New Blue Sun, an album strongly rooted in his startling interest in experimental and ambient music. With this album, André is honoring his love for flutes which in this record takes shape through the usage of digital wind instruments. The album sprouts from new attempts embedded in perseverance and musical appreciation, with a sound trajectory that feels simple and refined, a new-age ‘light’ music to lighten the spirit. If one is to consider New Blue Sun a journey, it would be one that you wish would never end.
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Aili
Aili is a Belgian-Japanese electro-pop band composed of Aili Maruyama and Orson Wouters. What makes this band unique within the Belgian music landscape is the homage the lead singer pays to her Japanese roots by singing in her first language, almost as if teasing the audience by giving a taste of the unknown. The band’s upbeat songs have a hypnotic power: they make your body move and captivate the mind through their playfulness. Although a distinctly joyful music style, Aili’s sound has something almost nostalgic about it with a quality reminiscent of half-drunken summer sunsets spent in the park.
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Lézard
Lézard stands for the funky and the rhythmic, as Belgian emerging talents who embody youthful rebelliousness. Regardless of their jovial spirit, the band members treat music with tenacity, attention and mastery. At Gent Jazz, they plan to take you on an ecstatic trip with which they cherish the legacy of the African-American saxophonist Coltrane. Think of post-punk-disco with a jazz influence which translates into a joie de vivre feeling.
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Loverman
Loverman is the romantic that whispers to the soul. With a previous background as the front-man of eccentric band Shht and as half of the experimental pop duo Partners, he debuted at Gent Jazz in 2021 as Loverman - a project born out of a breakup that extended way beyond the personal and into collective relatability. Regardless of his serious approach and passion for music, Loverman always maintains a humorous tone. In a true performer fashion, he brings a Mac DeMarco vibe and a memorable blues voice, proving that music can and should be emotional.
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Dushime
Charismatic performance and mesmerizing narration are the key ingredients of Dushime's stage presence. Her voice is rich, smooth and powerful in its authenticity; her music is bittersweet and unforgettable. With sensibilities rooted in her Rwandan background, she will perform at Gent Jazz in an attempt to show us what soulful music can be. An emerging Belgian talent not to be missed!
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<div class="editorial-banner"> <div class=“editorial-credits”> @gentjazz <br/> Cover: Lézard shot by Nathan Dobbelaere<br/> <br/></div>
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