Concert: BAERTMAN

Pieter Baert, instructor at the Academie van Sint-Agatha-Berchem, built a versatile career within and outside the jazz and world scene, with collaborations with, among others, Stef Kamiel Carlens, Teun Verbruggen and SonBacàn. He played on international stages, including Carnegie Hall (New York), and developed a lyrical, sound-oriented piano style in which improvisation is central. His music is rooted in tradition, but always seeks out experiment. His solo album Tinten was released in 2021. Jan Heirman developed within an urban and electronic context with projects such as M.CHUZI, Okkupeerder and MeyanDR. He works with beats, textures and live electronics, always with room for spontaneity. In Baertman improvisation forms the starting point. Compositions arise from interaction and dialogue. This is handmade music. The generation difference between both musicians is not a contradiction, but a motor. Baertman sounds energetic and urban, but at the same time vulnerable and spiritual — a search for nuance, layering and connection in a time of sharp positions. For lovers of Stuff, The Bad Plus, Schntzl.