Sep 22, 2026 12:26 PM
Hyde Park Jazz Fest on Chicago’s South Side to Present 20th Edition
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival will take place for the 20th time on the final weekend of September 2026. Beginning half…
The Belgian blues artist Roland performs a tribute to Moondog at the Gent Jazz Festival in Ghent, Belgium, on July 10.
(Photo: Jos L. Knaepen)Unlike other big festivals, the selections in Gent are usually more esoteric and alternative, although the program still provides some popular acts.
The impressively historic city of Ghent lies in the Flemish, Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, and the festival takes place in a large pavilion, where this year, crowds flocked to see Kamasi Washington, Pat Metheny, John Cale, Jill Scott and St. Germain.
Despite the international thrust of its bookings, some of the most exciting music this year was indigenous: not just from Belgian generally, but from Ghent in particular. There was, of course, the riotous Flat Earth Society big band, a Belgium-based ensemble that has long held a significant global profile, touring the Americas, Europe and beyond. At Gent, the band’s inspired, kinetic set was purportedly dedicated to the memory of Frank Zappa, although without actually playing many of his works.
There was a hyper-speed medley that quoted “Eat That Question” and “I’m The Slime,” among many more, in its rapid-fire jumping, and this was followed by stirring versions of Zappa’s “There Will Come A Time” and “City Of Tiny Lites,” which showcased the singing of guest guitarist Mauro Pawlowski, a member of the Belgian rock band dEUS (though regular Flat Earth Society guitarist Pierre Vervloesem was actually more exciting as a soloist and general performer). The group concluded with the colossal complexities of “Abracadabra.”
De Beren Gieren, a trio that walks the improvisational edge, is one of Belgium’s best jazz groups, consistently probing for fresh textures and dynamics. Launching straight into brooding stormclouds at Gent, they quickly found a pulse, with Fulco Ottervanger offering a stream of piano notes before the set evolved into a headlong vehicle for simultaneous soloing. Lieven Van Pee bowed his bass, Simon Segers gently darted around his drum-skins, and a glassy shimmer gradually developed.
Electronics magnified the piano interior, and the music jolted from calm to aggressive before landing once again on a dreamy cloud. Much of the set had a suite-like quality, and the trio concluded with a more conventional groove—drums wild, bass flooding and piano hammering as electronics trilled in the background.
A solo concert by saxophonist Joshua Redman will close the first night of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival on Sept. 26.
Sep 22, 2026 12:26 PM
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival will take place for the 20th time on the final weekend of September 2026. Beginning half…
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