For the third year in a row, AB curates the Beursplein stage during Brussels Jazz Weekend. As always: free to attend! Tip: be sure to check out the other stages too – from the Grote Markt to Sint-Katelijne – with impressive acts like Early Life Forms, ADJA, Kosmo Sound, Orson Claeys and Wajdi Riahi Trio.

Signed up for Saturday 24 May on the Beurs stage curated by AB:

4:45 - 5:45 pm Unfinished Business

Unfinished Business consists of five impassioned musicians who found each other in the corridors of the Antwerp Conservatorium and have been making a remarkable difference in the city’s sonic landscape ever since. Their dynamic repertoire doesn’t allow pigeonholing. Rooted in jazz, with influences of rock, funk and fusion, plus a firm anchor in hard bop, they create a sound in which echoes of classics mingle with the newness of their future music. Instantly audibly tangible on their debut Open for Business.

6:30 - 7:30 pm bodies

In bodies – lowercase please - saxophonist Alejandra Borzyk brings together exceptional musicians from the international jazz scene, including Camille-Alban Spreng (see too: Mobilhome). The result? A Brussels ensemble that experiments with saxophone and synthesizers. Their diverse backgrounds merge into a unique mix of influences: the vibrant live electronic music scene of Brussels, the stylistic diversity of London and the free improvisation of the US. Here and there you can also hear traces of Bendik Giske’s minimalism. bodies previously opened at AB for Nubya Garcia and featured on Jazz Cats 3, the compilation put together by Lefto.

8:15 - 9:15 pm Mobilhome

Mobilhome describe their music as “avant- garde jazz music for nostalgic pop-rock boomers, or birdsongs lovers”. The band name may not sound familiar, but the line-up is certainly is. Key figure Camille-Alban Spreng (also present in bodies and with his own band ODIL) is joined by Vitja Pauwels (see too: Naima Joris, Bombataz and Sound Of Brussels Orchestra), Sam Comerford (see too: Hendrik Lasure & warm bad, Lennart Heyndels (Hi Hawaii, Alex Koo Trio)) and Théo Lanau. This autumn will see the release of their impressive album That Thought Tender, from which you have already heard a teaser – one that may hit like an uppercut.

10:00 - 11:15 pm VAAGUE

VAAGUE – uppercase please – is the drum and electronica solo project of Brussels drummer and producer Antoine Pierre. He creates drum grooves for the dancefloor, encompassed by a unique cockpit of acoustics and electronica. Pierre is also known for his regular role in TaxiWars and his collaborations with Le Motel, Amy Root and Dorian Dumont (ECHT!). Le Soir on his album: “Oktopus Mekaniks is a creature with two minds and (at least) six arms that takes you back to the electronica of the 90’s, led by Aphex Twin and Squarepusher. Jazz and electro go hand in hand, working toward a common goal: trance.” Nailed it!