Gent Jazz: Kamasi Washington + Lander & Adriaan + Adja + more

Kamasi Washington is a true force of nature. He made his international breakthrough with The Epic, a monumental three-hour jazz opera that showcased spirituality and an innovative vision of the genre. Washington combines influences from funk, soul, hip-hop and world music with jazz and has more than once been labelled a 'visionary', a role he confirms with the rest of his repertoire, such as Heaven and Earth - an intimate exploration of his cultural roots - or Fearless Movement, released in 2024 - an exploration of rhythm and dance. In addition, collaborations with Kendrick Lamar (To Pimp a Butterfly), Flying Lotus and Herbie Hancock illustrate his far-reaching and broad influence on the contemporary music scene. Live, Washington is surrounded by a phenomenal collective of virtuosos who together elevate jazz to a social and even spiritual event.

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Lander & Adriaan is a Belgian duo featuring drummer Lander Gyselinck (STUFF.,Beraadslagen, Hihats In Trees) and Adriaan Van de Velde (Pomrad, Mauro Pawlowski, J. Bernardt). Their shared love for slick digital synths and underground dance music genres from the 90s brought them together to jam symbiotically during the very first lockdown in 2020. They haven’t stopped raving ever since, releasing energy and records at a steady pace. Over the past few years, they’ve developed into a must-see live act, sparking a frenzy wherever they play their 360° set. A legendary surprise gig at Kiosk Radio in Brussels for Lefto Early Bird’s weekly show kicked off their international career after the live video went viral. Their performances at Down The Rabbit Hole and Into The Great Wide Open in 2023 caused such a stir that they’ve been touring extensively ever since. The following year, their sets at Lowlands and Pukkelpop were critically acclaimed and they made several top 10 lists for best live shows of the 2024 festival summer. Their crazy mashup of cheesy jazz with all kinds of 90s dance genres such as Chicago juke, Detroit techno, UK-Funky and Classic rave, leads you into a world of (not so) guilty pleasures, sweet drum frenzies, pulpy saccharine melodies and mushy bass lines, all softly woven into raw dance music.

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With a background in theatre and jazz, and a passion for R&B, soul and gospel, Adja has developed a musical style that sounds warm, rich and organic, with influences from D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Hiatus Kaiyote and Lauryn Hill. Her music has a delicate power, imbued with a rich, complex atmosphere. In 2022, Adja became laureate of 'Sound Track', and later that year she was tipped by De Morgen as one of the six Belgian music promises of 2023. Her music is praised for the spiritual neo-soul of artists such as Erykah Badu and the velvety approach of Lianne La Havas.

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The poetic English singer and multi-instrumentalist Benjamin Clementine began his career as a street musician—perhaps that's why he doesn’t stick to rules or genres. Clementine blends soul, jazz, and avant-garde into a truly unique sound, and live on stage, he adds his immense charisma and expressiveness. A performance on Later... with Jools Holland proved to be his breakthrough to a wider audience, and he now effortlessly captivates crowds at major festivals—including Gent Jazz.

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Elijah Fox (trio) is a Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist, singer, and producer known for blending jazz, impressionism, and psychedelic soul. He began playing piano at age 11 and studied at Oberlin Conservatory before launching his career in New York. His work has been sampled by Drake and 21 Savage and he's collaborated with major artists like SZA, J Cole, and Childish Gambino. His viral composition "Wyoming” has over 20 million Spotify streams, and he tours globally as the keyboardist for Yussef Dayes. He also releases instrumental music under the alias Soren Sostrom.

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Johan Dupont Trio, a classically trained pianist with expertise in jazz and improvisation, Johan Dupont has collaborated with diverse talents, from gypsy guitarist Samson Smith to opera singers Julie Mossay and Sarah Laulan. Dupont's evocative compositions delve into a nostalgic, dreamlike realm, reflecting bittersweet memories of a lost paradise filled with possibility and completeness. His delicate musical vision is brought to life with the help of two equally intrepid and versatile artists. Bo Waterschoot, graduate from the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles, has an eclectic background spanning folk, jazz, pop, and Brazilian music, working with artists like Urban Trad and Sophie Cavez. Stephan Pougin, a former student of jazz legend Billy Hart, is a boundary-defying percussionist whose career bridges genres from baroque to Bossa Nova. Together, this trio fearlessly blends styles and influences to create music that transcends conventional categorization. The trio's eagerly-awaited debut album will be released on Flak Records (PIAS distribution) on January 31, 2025.

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Can beauty save the world? That is the challenge of L'Antidote, three top musicians from different regions who united in the ominous early days of a global pandemic. Lebanese/French pianist Rami Khalifé, Albanian cellist Redi Hasa and Iranian/French percussionist Bijan Chemirani together form a powerful musical gesture against division, emptiness and rigidity. Their shared experiences with Ludovico Einaudi, Sting, Robert Plant and famous orchestras are distilled by the trio into a sound which hangs somewhere between improvisation, meditative mysticism and electronic trance. Their music is a poetic dialogue between Mediterranean, Middle-Eastern and Balkan traditions. Intimate, hypnotic and unexpectedly liberating. Music as meeting place. As breath. As an antidote.

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Bandler Ching, in the head of saxophonist and composer Ambroos De Schepper - active with Kosmo Sound and Azmari, among others - a lot of ideas haunt the mind. Together with pianist Alan Van Rompuy, bassist Federico Pecoraro and drummer Olivier Penu, he mixes contemporary jazz with electronica, trap, hip-hop and global sounds. Freedom and conviction are central to their hypnotic sound, in which improvisation and diverse influences merge. Their debut album "Coaxial”, released on Sdban Ultra, was praised by the national press. HUMO called Bandler Ching: "beauty, concentration, all that jazz and an impressive noisera” - and we can't blame them.

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