Iqnovara + Asad Qizilbash (W.E.R.F. records release)

The emerging jazz quartet Iqnovara sees jazz as an open space where cultures come together. Band leader and guitarist Haroun Iqbal and pianist Joseph Nowell combine their classical jazz training with influences from West African kora, Indian raga, and greats like Paul Bley and Jakob Bro. Together with Zjef Van Steenbergen (double bass) and Simon Raman (drums), they bring their layered compositions to life in a fragile but confident way. Their debut album Onderstroom (2024) was immediately picked up by De Keuze van Klara and confirmed Iqnovara as a promising act. Their second album will be released in May 2026 on W.E.R.F. records, with repertoire inspired by Iqbal’s study of North Indian classical music. Sitarspeler Pandit Shubhendra Rao and sarod master Asad Qizilbash, both teachers of Ravi Shankar, will join the quartet on the KAAP | De Werf stage.