New names @ Gent Jazz Festival 2011

Gent Jazz Festival (7-17 July) is able to add more great names to its line-up. On Saturday 17th July we are honored to welcome the masters of contemporary tango, the Gotan Project, as well as retro-funk artist Raphael Saadiq.

Thursday 14th July we are glad to present to you three queens of jazz, Sing The Truth: Angelique Kidjo, Dianne Reeves & Lizz Wright continue the legacies of Miriam Makeba, Abbey Lincoln and Odetta. The women will follow a performance by Jef Neve and his Trio, who have become the favorite of the crowd. Gent Jazz Festival will be opened by the winner of Young Jazz Talent Gent 2010, the Nathan Daems Quintet. It will be the start of a great festival day which will be headlined by an artist that festival director Bertrand Flamang dreamt of programming 10 years ago. For the 9^th of July we previously announced BB King and Steven De Bruyn, Tony Gyselinck & Roland and they will be accompanied by gospel and blues diva Mavis Staples.

• Nathan Daems Quintet is the winner of the youth competition Young Jazz talent 2010. The jury said about them: “If the members of this band keep on inspiring each other and if leader Nathan Daems takes control a bit firmer, this quintet has great perspectives.” This year they open the 10th edition of the Gent Jazz Festival. One year later we are looking forward to the result.
• More than fifty years ago, Mavis Staples took her first steps into music history when she became a member of The Staple Singers. This blues and gospel diva is in topnotch condition and proves it on her recent album ‘You’re Not Alone’. She’s back, better than before, all thanks to Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) with whom she made a collaboration.
• Jef Neve hardly needs any introduction. He is without a doubt the Belgian jazz pianist of the moment. He performs in his trio with Teun Verbruggen and Ruben Samama.
• Sing The Truth: Dianne Reeves, Lizz Wright & Angelique Kidjo are the best female jazz singers of their generation. Earlier they had sung in a project featuring the music of Nina Simone. This time they interpret and revise the music of three legends: Miriam Makeba, Abbey Lincoln and Odetta.
• Raphael Saadiq: This contemporary funk soul brother brings his own version of the Motown and Stax sound he grew up. Raphael Saadiq stands for funky and danceable soul.
• Gotan Project (photo): The French-Argentinean collective, Gotan Project succeeds at mixing and matching the passion and sensuality which are typical of tango. Adding a dose of electronic elements give a contemporary feel and makes it possible for the band to reintroduce tango in the 21st century.

Early Birds Tickets

Early Birds Tickets are already available via Fnac and www.gentjazz.com. For those who don’t want to miss a single moment, there are a limited amount of festival passes available until 30th April that give you access to every festival day. This pass also includes the Special Nights and will be sold for 212 euro. During this period you are also given the possibility of combining 3 days in a 3 day pass. This pass will cost 79 euro (instead of 88 euro) but is not valid on the Special Nights.