Gaume Jazz reaches its 40th edition in 2024. Which is all the more impressive because the festival resolutely remains outside the mainstream, and has had the same artistic director, Jean-Pierre Bissot, since the start. It takes place in the village of Rossignol in Southern Belgium, not far from Luxembourg. Its well-equipped arts centre has been home to the festival from the outset, but the village itself has seen better days: the only bar in town closed about 10 years ago.
I asked Jean-Pierre about the festival’s beginnings. “There was no jazz festival in southern Belgium. I had the opportunity to welcome Don Cherry and his fabulous band of Ed Blackwell, Nana Vasconcelos and Mark Helias. I had already booked one of the best Belgian bands of the time (ACT Big Band) and many local young bands. The public showed an unexpected enthusiasm and immediately spoke of a second edition. But I never imagined it would last as long as it has.”
The festival now consists of 5 stages, 24 concerts as well as 13 gigs elsewhere.
Jean-Pierre continues. “It has not strayed from its first objectives: to give young artists the opportunity to make themselves known alongside established artists; to mix all jazz styles and line ups; to trust artists and support them to create new projects; to introduce new groups to Belgium.”
He mentions a whole range of great groups which have played there, many of which I myself recall over the 15 years that I’ve been coming, including Sylvie Courvoisier & Mark Feldman (accompanied, I recall, by the heaviest rain storm), Matthew Bourne, Stefano Bollani, Malcolm Braff, Elina Duni, Portico Quartet and more. In particular, he mentions with special pride the first concert of e.s.t. outside Scandinavia, as long ago as 1993.
For this year’s festival, “I wanted to reflect on the unique characteristics of jazz music. … because JAZZ:
- is born at the crossroads of Western, African and classical musical traditions;
- reconciles written and oral music;
- is open to cultures from all over the world without exception;
- creates links with music from every century;
- affects all social categories without any hierarchy;
- builds a bridge between all generations, peoples, countries;
- integrates the practice of a rigorous technique, the art of listening to others and the individual potential to invest in an improvised flight, dance, meditation, …
JAZZ is therefore a totally open musical language built around the qualities of listening, dialogue, respect and complete freedom: jazz is the language of PEACE.
With this in mind, he has some specific projects:
- A special tribute to recently-deceased singer Jodie Devos (who had been commissioned to do a project based around Judy Garland)
- Tania Giannouli
- Dine Doneff (alias Kosta Théodorou) – ROUSILVO
- Thérapie de Couple of Daniel Erdmann
- The premiere of a jazz ballet about the fall of the Berlin Wall contrasting with the Gulf War of 1993, “No Wall, No War”, with music by Charles Loos, part of a theme of “Jazz for Peace”.
And the future? “There are more and more excellent jazz musicians but there are not enough live performance opportunities. Yet jazz is best to be enjoyed live. There are not enough clubs or venues, not enough space in the media, with more competition from other easier music forms.”
His conclusion? “I’m torn between optimism and great pessimism, but, personally, I have no other solution than to organize the Gaume Jazz Festival.” And, with that, he gives a warm welcome to all.
Let’s raise a fortieth annivesary toast to the Gaume Jazz Festival in the way that only Gaume knows how. With a glass (or three) of Trappist beer from Orval, just ten miles away.
