Jazzuary: more interesting jazz concerts

Jazz musicians Marc Van den Hoof and Andrew Claes pick their favourite concerts in January.

MARK VAN DEN HOOF'S JAZZ PICKS

The Belgian Gipsy Swing
"I still listen a lot to Django Reinhardt, but not to his followers. Recently, however, I met the trumpeter René De Smaele and I got interested again." As a special guest, De Smaele's wee swing band has invited Dorado Schmitt, a Gypsy who opted for the electric guitar.
> 14/01, 20.30, La Tentation, Brussel/Bruxelles (Djangofolllies)

Avishai Cohen Quartet
"The older I get, the more I admire trumpeters. The versatile Avishai Cohen took the Ornette Coleman tribute at Jazz Middelheim to a higher level. His set with the conservatory students took me by surprise. I'm a fan of his small ensembles."
> 14/01, 19.30, Flagey, Elsene/Ixelles (Brussels Jazz Festival)

Nicola Andrioli
"This pianist has recorded a duo album with the saxophonist Steven Delannoye, but I know him above all from his work with Philip Catherine. He has a beautiful touch: playful and elegant – he sounds a bit Italian." He will perform with the singer Barbara Wiernik, with whom he has just brought out an album.
> 17/01, 20.00, Théâtre Marni, Elsene/Ixelles (River Jazz Festival)

Bert Joris & BJO
Smooth Shake is the fourth album the Brussels Jazz Orchestra has recorded with the trumpeter and composer Bert Joris. "He has arranged some of his quartet's pieces for a big band. I have a soft spot for the contribution of Bert Joris and the band leader Frank Vaganée, who let other soloists shine too."
> 17/01, 20.15, Flagey, Elsene/Ixelles (Brussels Jazz Festival)

Tom Harrell TRIP
"Kind of strange, this American trumpeter, who shared the stage with Dizzy Gillespie and Lee Konitz. But so strong, melodically and harmonically! I keep listening because he surprises me every time. This time he is coming with another new line-up, without a pianist. What's more, he is as old as I am."
> 18/1, 20.30, Flagey, Elsene/Ixelles (Brussels Jazz Festival)

ANDREW CLAES'S JAZZ PICKS

Vijay Iyer
"In India, harmony can also be found in the rhythm, and you can hear that with this pianist. It's great the way he draws on his Indian roots, while flirting with the boundaries of the genre, and combines quite technical, acoustic music with innovative rhythmic elements."
> 13/01, 21.00, Flagey, Elsene/Ixelles (Brussels Jazz Festival)

Nelson Veras
"A prodigy on the guitar, someone you could put on when friends drop by who are not necessarily interested in jazz; you can also listen with your headphones on, if you want to enjoy every note." Veras is giving a duo concert with Aka Moon drummer Stéphane Galland.
> 14/01, 18.00, Jazz Station, Sint-Joost/Saint-Josse (River Jazz Festival)

Lionel Beuvens Motu
"A former classmate, with his ears and heart in the right place," says Claes of the drummer Lionel Beuvens, who last year brought out a second album, Earth Song, with his quartet." In Motu Beuvens plays together with, among others, the Finnish pianist Alexi Tuomarila.
> 18/01, 19.00, Flagey, Elsene/Ixelles (Brussels Jazz Festival)

Drifter
"I'm looking forward to hearing Alexi Tuomarila's other band Drifter, too, with which I did a recording session as an electronic musician."
> 19/01, 19.00, Flagey, Elsene/Ixelles (Brussels Jazz Festival)

Fabrice Alleman
"A true professional," says Claes admiringly of the drummer Fabrice Alleman. "There is something post-Sonny Rollins, hard-bop style about him." At the Jazz Station, Alleman has been given carte blanche, so he can invite whoever he wants for a set combining standards with compositions of his own and improvisations.
> 26/01, 20.30, Jazz Station, Sint-Joost/Saint-Josse (River Jazz Festival)